ILOILO CITY –– Around 1,600 passengers have been stranded in ports in Western Visayas after the Coast Guard ordered the suspension of sea travel due to Tropical Storm “Ursula.”
The passengers included those rushing to go home to spend Christmas with their families and tourists bound for Boracay Island.
Commodore Edgar Boado, Coast Guard Western Visayas commander, reported that 1,607 passengers, 289 cargo and passenger vessels, and one motorboat were stranded in the ports of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz and Guimaras as of noon on Tuesday.
In the port of Iloilo, 1,406 passengers were stranded, 167 in Aklan, and 34 in Antique.
Trips of passenger boats between Iloilo and Bacolod cities have been suspended since Monday afternoon.
Travel between the Caticlan port in Malay town and Boracay Island in Aklan was also suspended at noon on Tuesday, with many tourists bound for Boracay unable to cross to the island in time for Christmas eve.
Areas in Western Visayas were placed under Storm Signal No. 2, including Aklan, Capiz, northern Antique and northern Negros Occidental. Other areas were under Storm Signal 1 as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday.