Photo by: Ted Aying
A ROLL-ON-ROLL-OFF (RoRo) vessel caught fire while sailing a few kilometers away from the Tagbilaran City port in Bohol province Sunday morning.
Anthony Damalerio, head of the Tagbilaran City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), fisherfolk from Tagbilaran and Panglao and the crew of another passenger vessel rescued all passengers and crew on board MV Esperanza Star owned by Kho Shipping Lines Inc. (KSL).
The ill-fated vessel traveled from Iligan City and left Siquijor Saturday night.
was expected to dock at the Tagbilaran port at 4 a.m. on Sunday.
But it sent a distress call when a fire erupted outside the engine room while traversing Doljo Point near Panglao Island, Damalerio added.
“No one was missing. No one was injured. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” he told reporters.
An earlier report said the vessel was carrying 61 passengers, but Damalerio said there were 72 passengers and 61 crew members rescued.
He said the shipping company provided water, clothes, and slippers at the Tagbilaran port terminal.
In a statement posted on its official social media page, KSL thanked Bohol coast guard, TransAsia 19 personnel, and fisherfolk “for instantly responding to the distress call” when their ship caught fire.
All crew and passengers were immediately rescued to safety, being taken care of and all accounted for,” it said. (PNA)
