Coast Guard Zamboanga Station Commander Eliezer Dalnay disclosed that the boat named “Siraina” owned by Munib Bakki, was carrying 27 passengers when it encountered big waves causing it to sink about two nautical miles from Tampat Point around 3:30 a.m.
Dalnay said the boat departed Sipangkot Island in Sibutu bound for Bongao without any proper clearance.
When the boat approached Tampat Point, big waves caused the boat to sink.
Vessels, mostly wooden-hulled, serves as the main mode of transportation from one town to the other in Tawi-Tawi province, which comprises 11 island municipalities.
Bakki and four others managed to swim to the shorelines and reported the sea mishap to authorities.
Coast Guard and Philippine Navy personnel assisted by other government agencies conducted search and rescue operations that led to the rescue of 15 persons. They also retrieved the bodies of the seven passengers who drowned.
The two unidentifed fatalities are females and are believed to be in their 30’s.
Only the bodies of Basira and the two unidentified females have yet to be claimed by their relatives.
Dalnay said search and rescue was temporarily halted Wednesday night due to the bad weather condition.
Dalnay said that search and rescue operation jointly conducted by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine Navy (PN) personnel resumed Thursday morning in search for the five missing people.
Dalnay said that Ikan has already coordinated with the police for the filing of appropriate charges against the owner and skipper of the vessel, Bakki Munib, for operating unregistered boat and illegal carriage of passengers.
Ikan said M/L Siraina has been operating as a passenger-cargo vessel from Sitangkai town to Bongao municipality and vice-versa.
Friday 21 Septemebr 2012
http://zamboangatimes.ph/top-news/5709-7-die-5-still-missing-as-boat-sinks-off-bongao.html
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