Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard and various partner agencies successfully rescued all 12 occupants of a passenger boat after it capsized off Tawi-Tawi province in the southern Philippines on Monday, January 19.
The motor launch Sitti Nur had encountered rough waves while underway off the coast of Tawi-Tawi's Simunul municipality, causing it to overturn and throwing all the occupants overboard.
Upon being notified about the incident, personnel from the coast guard, the Philippine Marine Corps, the Philippine National Police, and the Tawi-Tawi Provincial Government deployed to the area aboard small boats to render assistance.
All 12 of Sitti Nur's passengers and crew were found clinging to the overturned launch by the time rescuers arrived in the area.
The survivors were then brought to Bongao municipality, where they were provided with food and underwent medical assessments. Some of the rescued individuals have since returned to their respective homes while the remainder opted to remain in Bongao to wait for a boat that would bring them to Simunul.
Video provided by the coast guard shows a boat arriving in Simunul with some of the rescued passengers.
According to local newspaper The Philippine Star, police officials in Tawi-Tawi said that the ill-fated boat had no lifejackets or other lifesaving appliances on board at the time of the incident.