4 tourists in Aurora hurt as waves hit them

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Four local tourists, all of them women, were hurt when they were hit by waves in the Aurora capital of Baler as they were taking photographs of their group at around 4 p.m. on Good Friday, a local official said.

One of the tourists suffered scratches as she slipped on a rocky area fronting a resort in Sitio (sub-village) Digisit in Barangay (village) Sabali, said engineer Elson Egargue, executive director of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

A separate report from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the other victims had minor injuries after they were hit by waves.

Egargue and the RDRRMC, however, did not name the victims.

Also on Friday, Egargue said the provincial government imposed a ban on swimming in the beaches of Aurora starting 6 p.m. to protect residents and tourists ahead of the landfall of Typhoon “Chedeng” on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

READ: Tourists ordered to evacuate Baler due to threat of ‘Chedeng’

Aurora province faces the Pacific Ocean and is popular among local and foreign tourists for its beaches and surfing spots.

The provincial government also ordered preemptive evacuation of residents living in coastal communities. They have been directed to seek refuge in barangay halls, schools and chapels on higher grounds.

Fishing and commercial boats in Aurora have been prohibited from sailing out to sea due to the approaching typhoon, local officials said. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon/RA

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