167 people rescued after RORO ship tilts in Cebu

September 1, 2019

The Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday rescued 149 passengers and 18 crew members from a roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ferry, which listed on its side in a port in Cebu.

Four of the passengers suffered minor injuries when M/V “Mika Mari 8” tilted while the vehicles were disembarking at Port of Consuelo in San Francisco, Camotes at around 2pm, the PCG said.

“Upon finishing the docking procedure and while disembarking the vehicles, a 10 wheeler truck encountered a transmission problem and slipped on the starboard side of the vessel which caused a balancing problem and eventually leading the vessel to (partially) submerge,” it said.

The Quick Response Team (QRT) of Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) San Francisco proceeded to the said vicinity after receiving a call and conducted rescue operations of the passengers and crew of the vessel.

The injured passengers were brought to Ricardo Memorial Hospital for treatment. Ella Dionisio/DMS