Ferry Fire in the Sea – NO COAST GUARDS TO THE RESCUE
A Lite Ferry 16 bound for Dapitan City caught fire in the middle of the sea and caused 3 fatalities and 23 missing. A total number of 137 passengers were rescued by another boat leaving Dapitan bound for Dumaguete City. There was not a single Philippine Coast Guard who responded to the situation.
Ferry Fire in the Middle of the Sea
The mv Lite Ferry 16 left the Samboan Port at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night, August 27, 2019. The ferry’s engine broke and caught on fire with only 2 hours before it was expected to arrive in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte. It caught fire about 1.5 nautical miles from Polauan Port in Dapitan at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The cargoes of the roll-on-roll-off (roro) vessel were seven 10-wheeler trucks; 13 six-wheeler trucks; nine four-wheeler vehicles and five motorbikes. According to Lt. Junior Grade Michael John Encina, PCG-Central Visayas spokesman, the mv Lite Ferry 16 underwent proper inspection before leaving the port and there were no hazardous or flammable materials found in the vessel. The vessel also had all the necessary safety certificates required by Marina. Up to this day, the cause of
No Coast Guards to the Rescue
There were no PCG (Philippine Coast Guards) to be seen in the tragedy of the ferry fire. The only rescue that came was another boat passing by bound for Dumaguete City. The FastCat left Dapitan for Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. The fast craft was only 40 minutes into their voyage when the crew received a distress call from the Lite Ferries vessel. They were able to rescue 40 or 50 passengers, including children and senior citizens.
The ferry fire tragedy caused the loss of three lives.
