By Sarwell Meniano | Philippine News Agency
TACLOBAN CITY – All 14 crew members of a motorboat survived a sea mishap off the coast of Capul, Northern Samar when their vessel capsized on Tuesday (Dec. 7) afternoon, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported Wednesday (Dec. 8).
The 14 were on board the M/V Noah Akim carrying a generator set of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) when big waves hit the vessel, destroying its hull.
All crew members abandoned the boat when it capsized and swam toward the shore of San Luis village around 3:00 p.m.
The motorboat left the port of San Isidro, Northern Samar at past 12:00 p.m. and traveled for three hours before it capsized just a few meters from the shoreline of Capul Island.
“The strong wind and the waves destroyed the hull of the motorboat and the cargo generator sank into the seawater of Capul. When the said generator set sank in the sea, they (crew) abandoned the motorboat and they swam towards the shore. All the crew members were safe and unharmed,” the PNP said in a report.
Policemen and personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) rushed to the site after receiving a call about the incident.
The generator is intended for Napocor’s diesel power plant in Capul that delivers round-the-clock electricity service to the town’s residents.
Capul is a 5th class island town with a population of 12,323 people. It is about 26 kilometers away from the nearest port in the Northern Samar mainland. (PNA) – bny
