TACLOBAN CITY — A 69-year-old man died after their vehicle fell into the sea at the Santa Clara Port in Liloan, Southern Leyte on Wednesday, June 28.
The fatality was identified as Fernando De La Cruz.
His wife Olimpia, 69, daughter Evangeline Gutlay, and three children survived.
The victims, who are residents of Barangay Napaaran, Salcedo, Eastern Samar, were supposed to board a fast craft bound for Surigao City at about 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Based on the report from the Philippine Coast Guard, the vehicle, an Isuzu Crosswind, driven by De La Cruz, slipped into the docking area of the port.
While the rest of the passengers were rescued by the crew of the MV GT Express-I before the vehicle totally sank to the waters, rescuers failed to rescue de la Cruz as the door where he was seated was locked.
A dump truck was used to tow the vehicle back to the surface where the driver was extracted.
De La Cruz was immediately rushed to the Liloan Community Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival due to asphyxia and drowning.
His wife was brought to the Christ the Healer Hospital in Sogod, also in Southern Leyte, due to difficulty in breathing.
The rest of the passengers only sustained minor injuries and were attended by the personnel of the Liloan municipal disaster risk reduction management office.
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