Over 22,000 passengers still stranded in ports on Christmas Eve

MANILA, Philippines — Over 22,000 passengers remain stranded at several ports in the country on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, due to the inclement weather brought about by Typhoon Ursula.

As of 4 p.m., a total of 22,717 passengers were stranded in ports in Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Southern Tagalog, Northern Mindanao, Western Visayas and Southern Visayas, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Meanwhile, operations of 2,738 rolling cargoes, 44 motorbancas, and 161 vessels are also temporarily suspended while 109 vessels and 7 motorbancas were docked.

(Photos show the breakdown of stranded passengers in different ports in the country due to Typhoon Ursula. Photos by PCG)

Ursula made landfall over Salcedo, Eastern Samar, at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.

The state weather bureau warned that storm surges of up to two meters could also affect several coastal areas of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Leyte, Pagasa said.

It added that rough sea conditions are expected Tuesday over the eastern seaboards of the country.

READ: Typhoon Ursula makes landfall over Eastern Samar