Fisherman dead in blast fishing in Quezon province

LUCENA CITY — A fisherman was killed on Monday, Oct. 28, while engaged in blast fishing in the seas off the island town of Burdeos, Quezon province.

The Quezon police identified the victim as Mario Macagaling, 40, a resident of Barangay Calutcot.

According to his fellow fisherman, Richard Legaspi, whose boat was 200 meters away from the victim at around 10 a.m., the explosive chemical locally called “bigas-bigas” had yet to be thrown by the victim into the water when it exploded.

The bomb damaged the boat but the victim was not located.

Fellow fishermen and villagers conducted a search-and-rescue operation and found the floating body of the victim around 2 p.m.

The body bore open wounds on his right chest, right face and both legs, and his right arm was ripped off due to the explosion.

The report said the victim has long been engaged in blast fishing and had been caught in 2013.

Burdeos, Polillo, and Panukulan towns are located on Polillo Island off Lamon Bay that faces the Pacific Ocean in northern Quezon. INQ