Nearly 2,000 passengers stranded in ports due to ‘Auring’

ILOILO CITY—At least 1,896 passengers have been stranded in ports in Iloilo and Negros Occidental after sea travel was suspended due to Typhoon “Auring.”

Travel to and from Iloilo and Negros Island has been suspended after the Negros provinces, Guimaras Island and southern Iloilo were placed under Storm Signal No. 1, along with other areas.

The Coast Guard suspended trips of fast craft plying between Iloilo and Bacolod cities and roll-on, roll-off (Roro) vessels between Iloilo and Negros Occidental, according to Lt. Cmdr. Ramil Palabrica, Coast Guard Iloilo station commander.

Trips of motorboats plying between Guimaras Island and Iloilo City have also been limited to 75 percent of passenger capacity and the trips were only up to 6 p.m.

About 1,000 passengers bound for Cagayan de Oro of the M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus of 2Go shipping line were stranded at the port of Iloilo.

Another 268 passengers of a Montenegro Roro vessel bound for Palawan were also stranded.

In Negros Occidental, 368 passengers were stranded, according to PO2 Marlon Patigayon.

These included 288 at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. port in Bacolod City, 50 at the Escalante port and 30 at the San Carlos port.

Patigayon said 14 Roro vessels, seven fast craft and a cargo ship were prevented from leaving ports in the province due to the typhoon. JE/rga