Woman dies after boat capsizes off Iloilo

ILOILO CITY — The Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) on Sunday confirmed that one person had died from a maritime incident off of the coast of Carles, Iloilo, in the province’s far north.

According to data by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), a 35-year-old female identified as Cecile Fuentes from Tiningban village in Carles was initially reported as missing at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 15.

This was after the small boat she and three others were using to sell merchandise to larger vessels capsized within municipal waters. Her companions were confirmed to have survived the incident.

The Carles MDRRMO has continued to coordinate with the OCD-6 and the Philippine Coast Guard and is continuing to monitor its local area of responsibility.

This incident came at the height of Tropical Depression Dodong, which was elevated into Tropical Storm Talim as it exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday afternoon.

The OCD-6’s Situational Report No. 1, issued at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, indicated that there have been 224 persons affected by the effects of Dodong, comprising 42 families from five barangays including one from Leon, Iloilo, and four from Iloilo City.

There have been at least 133 evacuated persons in the region, with 127 in evacuation centers and six sheltered outside of the centers.

At least 26 families in Sibalom, Antique were also pre-emptively evacuated but are still subject to validation by the OCD-6.

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