The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Wednesday that its personnel and villagers have recovered the bodies of four dead crewmen who were among those earlier reported as missing after a ship ran aground in Surigao del Norte on Monday.
PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said seven other crewmen who survived the mishap were also fished out in the waters of two barangays of Surigao del Norte in the ongoing search and rescue operations.
The four dead crewmen, along with the seven others, were among the 20 crew members of the LCT Cebu Great Ocean that ran aground along the shoreline of Barangay Cantapoy, Malimono, Surigao del Norte due to rough seas whipped up by Typhoon Bising, which battered Bicol and the Visayas.
The barge, which was hired by a still unidentified mining firm, was loaded with nickel ore and at least 2,000 liters of diesel.
“The PCG and PNP-MARIG [Philippine National Police-Maritime Group] continue their search and rescue operations to look for other missing crew members. The PCG also deployed a land mobility vehicle that conducts patrol operations along the shorelines of Malimono and San Francisco,” Balilo said.
Typhoon losses
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, has so far reported three deaths, excluding the four crewmen, and 10 injuries due to Bising, whose damage is steadily climbing in Regions 5, 7 and 8.
It reported that the typhoon affected at least 59,098 families or 229,829 individuals in the three regions and even Caraga as the number of villages that inundated by floodwaters have increased to 68, while at least 1,022 houses were totally destroyed or damaged.
It also said that electricity service has been restored in most of the 63 cities and towns that have earlier been hit by power outages.
The NDRRMC said at least P45.9 million worth of agriculture produce has so far been damaged in Regions 5 and 8, aside from infrastructure projects worth P10.5 million.
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