Nineteen people went missing after turbulent waters off Catanduanes overturned two boats carrying them in separate sea mishaps as a typhoon arrived in the country on Tuesday.
Bicol Region: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon, Mayon Volcano, Legazpi Airport
Maj. Harold Cabunoc, spokesman of the Philippine Army's 9th Infantry Division, said eight passengers of a boat remained lost while a ninth passenger, Romualdo Trinidad, survived the sea mishap off Pandan town and was able to call for help.
“Nine were reported missing, and one of them, Romulado Trinidad, was rescued. The eight are still missing as of now and the Army is exerting efforts to locate them," he said.
In Bagamanok town, 11 other people were reported missing when their motorbanca failed to reach the shore.
Cabunoc blamed the twin mishaps on the locals' defiance of government warnings against sea travel during typhoons.
“Some people are really hard-headed. They know that a typhoon is coming. It's even announced in the radio. The government has no shortcoming in this," he said.
Catanduanes, an island province in the eastern Philippine region of Bicol, is among the provinces currently under Storm Signal No. 2 due to typhoon "Basyang."
Apart from Catanduanes, 10 other areas in Luzon are under Signal No. 2, while four areas have been placed under Signal No. 3.
Basyang is headed towards Quezon and Aurora provinces and is expected to make landfall between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
With a speed of 22 kilometers per hour, Basyang — which is moving west — is expected to have crossed central Luzon and reach the South China Sea by Wednesday morning.
THE AVIFAUNA OF CATANDUANES [Island in Philippines]
Vessels weighing 1,000 gross tons are disallowed from setting sail in areas under Signal No. 1, while a total sea travel ban is in place for areas under Signal No. 2. - MDM, RJAB Jr./JV
