2 crewmen of small cargo boat rescued off Boracay Island

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ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Two crew members of a small cargo boat were rescued on Sunday morning after their vessel nearly sank in the waters off Boracay Island amid rough seas, a Coast Guard official said.

None of the rescued crew members were injured and the boat was not carrying any cargo when it took in water and was half-submerged around 100 meters off the coast of Barangay Manoc-Manoc in Boracay, said Lieutenant Commander Terence Alsosa, commander of the Coast Guard station in Caticlan in Malay town in Aklan, in a telephone interview on Sunday.

Alsosa said the outrigger motorboat “Cathlyn” took in water due to huge waves and strong winds around 11:15 a.m., shortly after it left Barangay Manoc-Manoc going to Caticlan.

Coast Guard personnel and crew members of other cargo vessels in Manoc-Manoc rescued the crew members and towed the boat to the shore.

Alsosa identified the rescued crew members as Santiago Santos, 36, the boat captain, and crew member Joeven Villalobos, 21.

Commodore Athelo Ybañez, Coast Guard Western Visayas commander, said voyages of passenger vessels were slightly delayed yesterday due to strong winds but there was no cancellation of trips.