One dead after passenger boat suffers hull damage in Romblon, Philippines

One person is confirmed to have died while three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a passenger boat sustained damage to its hull and became partially submerged off Romblon province in the Philippines on Saturday, August 5.

The banca-type outrigger boat King Sto Niño 7 was en route to Romblon’s Corcuera Port with 90 passengers and five crewmembers when it struck a large piece of floating debris at around 12:30 local time on Saturday.

The impact resulted in damage to the hull just above the waterline on the port side, which then led to water ingress.

The boat was already partially submerged near its port of destination by the time search and rescue (SAR) personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard and other local partners arrived at the scene to render assistance.

All 95 people who were on the boat were safely evacuated. Tragically, however, one female passenger died as she was being treated by responding medical personnel shortly after she was brought to shore.

Three other female passengers meanwhile underwent treatment for minor injuries.

The coast guard said the incident occurred as the area was experiencing favourable sailing conditions. Officials added that the boat was authorised to transport 96 passengers and was therefore not overloaded.