Barge carrying tons of beer sinks off Bulusan; 3 missing

Three crewmen were missing after a cargo barge carrying tons of beer sank off Bulusan in Sorsogon late Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Friday. PCG officials said that search and rescue efforts have started for the missing men identified as ship master Nathaniel Latorena, Rommel Espinosa and Jerby Palad. Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, Coast Guard deputy commandant for operations, said MV Don Wilfredo sank around 9:30 p.m. off Barangay Boang in Bulusan. Citing the initial report from Coast Guard-Bicol District, Tamayo said the barge encountered strong winds and huge waves. The barge, owned by Candano Shipping Lines, was on its way to Legazpi City from a port in Cebu to deliver a total of 76, 744 cases of beer when it sank. Crewmen jettisoned the barge’s load but the vessel still went down. Tamayo said the vessel initially had 19 crewmen. Ten were rescued by PCG operatives and were brought to the municipality of Bulusan. Six others were rescued by a team from the Coast Guard Matnog Station. “Our Coast Guard station in Sorsogon has already deployed teams for the search and rescue operations. This is our priority at the moment. Investigation on the incident would follow soon after all three missing crewmen are found," Tamayo said. Tamayo, however, said that the captain of the vessel has been asked to submit to the PCG a report within 24 hours.- GMANews.TV