Death toll from capsized boat in Binangonan at least 26 -officials

The death toll from the capsized boat MB Princess Aya in Binangonan, Rizal is now at 26, as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) resumed search and retrieval operations on Friday. 

"Dalawampu't anim na po ang kumpirmadong patay at 40 na po ang nakaligtas... Retrieval operations na po, sapagka't dun sa information na meron kami, wala na po dun sa surface at baka po na-trap na dun sa bangka," said PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo in an interview on Unang Balita.

(26 are confirmed dead while 40 people are rescued... We are now on retrieval operations because, from our information, no one is left on the surface but some may have been trapped under the boat.)

"Meron pong mga underwater personnel na mag coconduct ng operations para ma-check po kung meron pang mga tao na na-trap dun sa ilalim ng bangka," added Balilo.

(We have underwater personnel conducting operations to check if people are trapped under the boat.)

Balilo, however, said that it's still unclear how many people were really inside the boat when it capsized on Thursday.

"Maging 'yung kapitan (ng bangka) na kausap namin kahapon, siya mismo hindi niya malaman kung ilan pinasakay ng crew niya," Balilo said.

(Even the boat captain, when we asked him yesterday, did not know how many people his crew allowed inside the boat.)

"Sa ngayon po, tinatanong natin ang mga kamag-anak kung may nawawala pa," he added. 

(We are still asking relatives if there are other people missing.)

Retrieval operations

Meanwhile, in a separate interview on Unang Balita, Rizal Governor Nina Ynares said the total number of casualties is 27.

She said all of them have already been identified and authorities are already in communication with their families to claim the bodies.

According to the governor, the passengers of the capsized boat are all residents of Rizal.

While there were reports that the boat had carried passengers beyond its maximum capacity, Ynares refused to provide the total number of passengers onboard.

“I want to be responsible about giving numbers—until matapos ang retrieval operations,” she said.

Ynares also said that they are now investigating the incident in coordination with other government agencies.

“Ongoing ang investigation natin tungkol d’yan dahil nagbigay ang Philippine Coast Guard ng clearance para lumayag ang bangka at lumaot. But the investigation is still ongoing to know kung bakit nangyari ang mga bagay na ito… talagang tinitingnan namin to prevent once more what happened na hindi na maulit ito,” she said.

(The investigation is ongoing even if the Philippine Coast Guard gave them clearance to travel. We want to know why this happened and we want to prevent it from happening again.)

Captain in custody

The captain of the boat is now in the custody of authorities, according to Darlene Cay's report on Unang Balita on Friday. The captain maintained that he was not aware that the boat was overloaded. 

"Sana po mapatawad po nila ako sa trahedya po na nangyari, hindi ko naman po ginusto 'yun. Sana po mapatawad nila ako," said M/B Aya boat captain Donald Añain.

(I hope they can forgive me for this tragedy; I did not want it to happen. I hope they will forgive me.)

Añain also said that it was a sudden tide that caused the boat to capsize. 

"Bigla po may sigwada ng hangin, unos po kung tawagin, hindi ko na po mapigilan yung pagtagilid ng bangka," explained Añain.

(There was a sudden strong breeze, I could not stop the boat from tipping over.)

He also blamed his crew for allowing more passengers in the boat. 

"Magpapa-manifest po ako 'nun, sabi ko po hindi ako magsasakay ng madami. Hindi ko po alam, habang naglalakad ako papuntang coast guard may sumasakay pa po ng sumasakay," he said. 

(I was working on the manifest and I said I would not carry a lot of passengers. I did not know that while I went to the coast guard, more people were allowed in the boat.)

Panic

Initial investigation showed the boat left the Port of Binangonan on Thursday and was en route to Talim Island when it was hit by strong winds.

The boat was around 45 meters from land when it was hit by strong winds, causing all passengers to panic and move to one side, which caused the vessel to capsize, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

The PCG said this caused the passengers to panic and move to the left side, causing the motorbanca to tilt.

M/B Princess Aya was allowed to sail since the storm signals due to Typhoon Egay have been lifted.

The PCG said there were 70 people on board the banca. Its capacity is only 60. 

Suspended

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) on Friday also suspended the safety certificate of the passenger boat which capsized in Binangonan, Rizal.

In a statement, MARINA said it suspended the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC) of motorized banca Princess Aya “effective immediately until further notice from this authority.”

“The decision to suspend the safety certificate is in response to the unfortunate sea incident, which raises concerns about the integrity of the ship's hull, integral parts, and other affected machineries/appliances,” MARINA said.

The agency said the suspension of the boat’s safety certificate will only be lifted following a thorough inspection of the vessel and a comprehensive evaluation by its inspectors. —Vince G. Lopez with Hana Bordey/ VAL, GMA Integrated News