2 PCG vessels scour seas off Leyte coastal villages in search for bodies

MANILA, Philippines — Two Philippine Coast Guard search-and-rescue vessels — BRP Nueva Vizcaya and BRP Corregidor – have been patrolling off the coastal villages in Tacloban City and neighboring areas in Leyte and Samar provinces to look for bodies of victims of storm surges brought about by “supertyphoon Yolanda” (international name Haiyan), the PCG spokesperson said.

Commander Armand Balilo, also chief of the Coast Guard’s Public Affairs Office, said on Sunday the two PCG ships have been assisted by personnel of the command’s stations in the region.

In a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he disclosed that “last Saturday, five bodies were recovered by the BRP Nueva Vizcaya floating near two Tacloban coastal barangays (villages).” He did not name the barangays he was referring to.

“Three of the bodies were male adults while the other two belonged to children — a boy who was between seven and 10 years old, and a girl, aged around two to four,” said Balilo.

More than 1,800 Tacloban City folk, an undisclosed number of whom were victims of storm surges, have been reported missing.

The BRP Corregidor, loaded with 180 tons of relief goods, arrived at the Tacloban port on Saturday morning, according to Balilo.

Aside from relief items, the ship was also carrying members of a medical team, as well as six life boats that would be used by Coast Guard personnel in distributing relief goods in coastal communities in the two provinces.

Another PCG vessel, the BRP Romblon, has arrived in El Nido, northern Palawan, with a cargo of food items and medicines.

Earlier, it dropped off relief goods in Coron town in the Busuanga group of islands, also in northern Palawan.

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