5 cadavers believed to be from MBCA Amejara arrive in Davao City

Five cadavers believed to be from the ill-fated vessel MBCA Amejara on Sunday arrived in a funeral home in Davao City after retrieval from the waters off Sarangani, Davao Occidental.

The cadavers will undergo post-mortem examination to determine their identity, according to a report by GMA Regional TV One Mindanao reporter Rgil Relator.

Four of the found cadavers were brought to the Port of Mabila in Balut Island in Sarangani, Davao Occidental at 10 p.m. on Saturday, while the other arrived on Sunday morning.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported that five cadavers were found at around 11:30-11:45 a.m. on Saturday.

The Philippine Navy’s Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) through BRP Artemio Ricarte retrieved the four cadavers in the waters of Davao Occidental in coordination with the Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC), TOW-EM, Office of Civil Defense Region XI (OCD XI), PCG, and other concerned agencies.

In a statement on Saturday, NFEM said it found the cadavers 63 nautical miles southwest of Balut Island, Davao Occidental after receiving a report at 9:09 a.m.

“The team successfully recovered cadavers beside a large piece of debris believed to be the overhead roof cover of a motor banca AMEJARA,” NFEM said.

With 15 passengers, recreational dive boat MBCA Amejara went missing while navigating the waters of the Davao Gulf on Monday, January 19.

Only one person has been rescued so far. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/KG, GMA Integrated News