Over 500 rescued after ferry runs aground in Bohol, Philippines

The Philippine Coast Guard and various local partners successfully rescued all 506 passengers of a Ro-Pax ferry after it ran aground near Jagna Port in Bohol province on Saturday, April 19.

Lite Ferry 5 had just departed Jagna Port with a final destination of Cagayan De Oro City on Mindanao Island when it drifted towards shallow waters and ran aground just 200 metres from its port of origin on the evening (local time) of Saturday.

An eyewitness informed the coast guard about the grounding. The coast guard then contacted the vessel's captain to confirm the situation, after which response teams were mobilised and deployed to the area.

The coast guard, with the assistance of the Philippine Navy, other partner agencies and the crews of some Good Samaritan fishing vessels, successfully evacuated all 506 of the ferry's passengers to shore by the morning of Sunday, April 20. No injuries have been reported.

The coast guard said that a full marine safety and environmental assessment is underway, though an initial inspection revealed that the vessel's hull did not suffer any internal damage.

A tug has been deployed to the area to extract the ground ferry and tow it to port.