Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A motorboat carrying at least 204 people and crew capsized 200 meters from the port in Ormoc, Leyte on Thursday (July 2).
The vessel, MB Kim Nirvana-B, was bound for Pilar town on Camotes Island, east of Cebu.
As of Sunday morning (July 5), Capt. Pedro Tinampay — commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Eastern Visayas District — said 60 were confirmed dead while 145 survived.
Tinampay added that most of the victims were women.
Meanwhile, Police Regional Office 8 director Chief Supt. Asher Dolina said investigators filed multiple murder complaints against Juge Bung Zarco, the ferry’s owner; Warren Oliverio, the boat’s captain; and 17 crew members.
Before this, Ormoc City Councilor Godi Abcas, chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, said the boat capsized at around 12 p.m., 20 minutes after leaving the port.
Abcas said the boat capsized because of the strong winds and big waves.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that there was no gale warning from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
In an interview on CNN Philippines’ Headlines on Friday morning (July 3), Cmdr. Armand Balilo, PCG spokesperson, said that they are determined to pursue the angle of human error.
“We’re looking at human error as the possible reason why it capsized but we’re not discounting the factor of weather and overloading,” said Balilo.
But based on the report that was submitted to the PCG, there was no overloading, mentioned Balilo.
He also said that the captain and the crew members’ families are in the custody of the Philippine National Police.
Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon said a welfare desk had been set up in Ormoc to receive all the rescued passengers.
‘ ’25’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:eb8ae410-5b1f-4bcb-8c56-f04aafd6006c’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘This map shows the location of Ormoc City in Leyte and Camotes
Gordon added the Red Cross had sent an ambulance team and social services people to bring passengers to the hospital and conduct interviews to restore family links.
Ace Go, the niece of Pilar Mayor Jesus Fernandez, said that the mayor’s personal secretary, Bontilo Galano Jr., was among the dead passengers.
Galano, who is an uncle of Go’s, was on leave and went to Ormoc for personal transactions.
Updates from hospitals
Passengers of the MB Kim Nirvana-B were brought to four hospitals in Ormoc namely the Ormoc Doctors Hospital, the Gatchalian Clinic Hospital, the Ormoc Sugar Planters (OSPA) Association Farmers Medical Center, and the Ormoc District Hospital.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Dr. Roland Tomaro, medical director of the Ormoc Doctors Hospital, gave an update on the number of passengers admitted in each hospital:
Ormoc Doctors Hospital
21 survivors
16 Dead on Arrival
Gatchalian Clinic Hospital
33 survivors
11 Dead on Arrival
Ormoc Sugar Planters (OSPA) Association Farmers Medical Center
11 survivors
6 Dead on Arrival
Ormoc District Hospital
5 survivors
2 Dead on Arrival
Tomaro, meanwhile, added that among those who died in the tragedy was an eight-month-old baby.
Survivor tells her story
Survivor May Sopa also told CNN Philippines what happened right before she found herself struggling in the water.
The 34-year-old said that when the boat pushed back — preparing itself to turn towards its destination — two strong waves hit it and caused it to lose balance.
“Actually, when we were leaving the port, the waves weren’t that strong.” Sopa recalled. “The weather seemed okay.”
According to Sopa, panic began when the boat started to tilt to one side.
“Everything happened so fast. When the waves hit the boat, the boat tilted to the left and people just started screaming,” the Leyte native said. She added that people on board tried to restore the boat’s balance, but were unable to do so.
Sopa, who didn’t know how to swim, said she fell in the water and stayed afloat only because she asked assistance from another survivor — a man who had found a water container bobbing nearby.
Later on, three others — a child and two other women — joined them and held on to the container until help came.
Sopa, who was treated at the Ormoc Doctors Hospital, said: “I’m just thankful that I survived.”
Palace orders investigation
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered an investigation on the incident, even as the search and rescue is ongoing, expecting a thorough investigation on the part of the PCG to find out what caused the incident.
The PCG has deployed a Maritime Casualty Investigation Team that is currently pursuing various avenues of inquiry, including possible overloading, capability of the captain and its officers, load capacity of the vessel, and others.
Malacañan extended its condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the incident and assured them a speedy and objective investigation.
