37 rescued from capsized boat

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines—Thirty-seven people were rescued after a motorboat  capsized off Surigao City on Monday afternoon, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Lieutenant Joel Simo-ag, commander of the Coast Guard station in Surigao, said all passengers were safe after being rescued by fishing boats near Nonoc Island  around 2:30 p.m.

Simo-ag said the  M/B Venjun  left Surigao port around 1:50 p.m. for Dinagat Island.

Simo-ag said the boat hit unidentified hard objects covered by water hyacinths and driftwood while crossing the strait, causing a hole in the hull.

“It was an accident and fortunately all the passengers and crew were safe and have been accounted for ” Simo-ag told the Inquirer by phone.

Fishing boats nearby plucked the passengers from the water near Nonoc Island, around six nautical miles from the port, Simo-ag said.