Superferry update, Celso: 6 ferry passengers still missing
At least six more passengers including a 10-year-old boy remained missing as of late yesterday afternoon, four days after MV Superferry 9 listed and then sank Sunday morning in the sea off Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
The City Disaster Coordinating Council’s action center established in City Hall identified the missing passengers of the ill-fated ferry as Orbina Paterno, 64, Cherryl Logronio, 25, Edilberto Maluto, 75, Aida Rosete, 39, Teresita Gido, 43, and Nick Angelo Rosete, 10.
Six survivors are still confined in local hospitals. They are Jenevive Bulagao, 22, Jezalyn Lagamayo, 30, and Kryze Vicitacion, 9, at Brent Hospital; Lenny Agramon and Rosemarie Bosanez at Ciudad Medical; and Fe Nuñez at the Western Mindanao Medical Center.
Records also showed that the number of fatalities has reached 10 and the total number of rescued passengers went down to 968, most of them had already been transported to their respective places of origin.
Meanwhile, Mayor Celso Lobregat has assured that rescue and retrieval operations for the unaccounted passengers will continue.
As of 34 p.m. yesterday, the action center has accounted for 958 survivors and 10 fatalities. Of the total number, 366 had been billeted in hotels in the city following their rescue Sunday but only six remained confined here as of press time.
To recall, Lobregat on Tuesday initiated a joint meeting of the regional and city disaster coordinating councils in City Hall to assess relief operations for the tragedy survivors. Both councils then decided to establish the action center to answer queries, particularly those from relatives of the survivors.
The center is manned by combined personnel from the City Social Welfare and Development Office, Aboitiz Transport Systems, owner of Superferry 9, Smart Communications Inc. and other agencies concerned. It can be contacted through hotline N0. 0928-640-4597. (Vic Larato)