Saturday, January 17, 2009

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/17/09/firecracker-nearly-spoils-sto-ni%C3%B1o-feast-cebu

A fluvial procession nearly became another tragic religious event on Saturday after a boat full of Sto. Niño devotees sank off Mactan Island in Cebu province.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its members rescued all the 35 passengers from the motorized banca marked Kent and Kelly after it sank along Mactan channel, about 50 meters away from the 1st Mandaue-Mactan Bridge at 7:40 a.m.

The boat was following 87 other boats, when it was hit by a firecracker. Water flowed through the hole created by the firecracker's blast.

Captain Simplicio Gilig, commander of PCG Mactan, said the passengers panicked and jumped off the boat.

Gilig said PCG members escorting the fluvial procession rushed to the panicked devotees and rescued them. He said some passengers managed to swim to the PCG boat.

Gilig said the passengers were all taken to a medical boat for treatment. Some passengers only experienced difficulty in breathing, he said. With a report from Carine Asutilla, ABS-CBN Central Visayas

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