The Philippine Coast Guard and some Good Samaritans successfully rescued all 15 people who were on a boat that had become partially submerged off Basilan province in the southern Philippines on Friday, February 27.
The banca-type outrigger boat Sherylle suffered water ingress while approximately four nautical miles off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan's Hadji Muhtamad municipality in the early afternoon (local time) of Friday.
Personnel from Coast Guard Station Basilan deployed a search and rescue (SAR) team to the waters off Baluk-Baluk to evacuate those on the passenger boat.
All 15 of Sherylle's passengers and crew were safely brought on board the commercial fishing vessel Marcus 308, which was passing through the area that same afternoon. They were later turned over to the coast guard and then transported to shore at Baluk-Baluk, where they were assessed by waiting medical personnel.
No serious injuries have been reported.
The incident occurred in the same waters off Baluk-Baluk where the Ro-Pax ferry Trisha Kerstin 3 sank earlier this year along with 65 of her 372 passengers and crew. Another 14 people who were also on the ferry have still not been found to this day, though surface SAR operations are still ongoing.
