Three dead after fishing boat sinks in storm-hit waters off Marinduque, Philippines

Three fishermen were killed after their boat sank in storm-hit waters off Marinduque province, Philippines, earlier this week.

The three fatalities were crewmen on the fishing vessel Green Horse, which had 16 people on board when it sailed out of Pagbilao town in nearby Quezon province at 18:00 local time on Tuesday, September 7.

The survivors said their boat encountered strong waves near Marinduque’s Elephant Island as they were en route to Buenavista town about an hour after departing Pagbilao.

Nine crewmen decided to jump into the water and swim to the nearest shore after the sea conditions worsened. The remaining seven opted to stay with the boat.

At around 00:00 on Wednesday, September 8, the vessel was struck by even stronger waves, which then caused it to sink almost immediately. The captain and another crewman were able to swim to shore while the five other fishermen were swept away by the current.

Of the five fishermen who were swept away and were initially reported missing, two were found alive in the late afternoon of Wednesday while the bodies of the remaining three were recovered in the waters around Buenavista during a search and rescue (SAR) operation that lasted until Friday, September 10.

The body of the last recovered victim was already in an advanced state of decomposition by the time he was found on the shores of Buenavista on Friday morning.

Local police officials said that the rough sea conditions that sank Green Horse were caused by Severe Tropical Storm Conson, which brought 50-knot winds as it passed through the area on the evening of Tuesday.