Body found floating off Bohol identified as missing crew’s

Photo from Coast Guard Public Affairs Office

CEBU CITY—The body found floating in the sea off Nocnocan Island in Bohol belonged to the missing crane operator MV Meridian Tres which sank last Tuesday evening.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Jimmy Berbo, commander of the Talibon Coast Guard Station, said Benjamin Orola was identified by his daughter Joy.

“Orola’s daughter herself confirmed that the cadaver belongs to her father,” Berbo said in a phone.

Although the body was bloated, Joy identified her father through his sleeveless shirt, blue jersey pants, and wedding ring.

No other details were given by Berbo.

Orola, a crane operator, went missing after cargo vessel MV Meridian Tres sank in the waters near Dawahon Island between the provinces of Bohol and Leyte at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

READ: Cargo vessel sinks off Leyte; 28 rescued, 1 missing

MV Meridian Tres, a steel-hulled cargo vessel was over 250 gross tons, left Pier 5 in Cebu City at 1:55 on Tuesday.

Despite a gale warning issued by the weather bureau, the cargo vessel was cleared by the Philippine Coast Guard to sail to Tacloban City since it was over 250 gross tons.

READ: Ship captain recalls huge waves that almost killed him, crew off Leyte

Seven hours later, the vessel was battered by huge waves in between the islands of Leyte and Bohol, causing it to tilt and later sink.

Twenty-eight of the 29 crew members and cargo escorts were saved by nearby vessels and Coast Guard teams that responded to the distress call.