A fast-moving typhoon crossed the Philippines Monday, triggering emergency situations at sea and leaving several ships stranded with their passengers and cargoes.
As of 8am Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Command Center has recorded a total of 341 passengers, truck drivers, and cargo helpers; 5 vessels; and 3 motorbancas stranded in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Palawan due to typhoon Quinta.
Moreover, 6 vessels and 17 motorbancas are taking shelter in the same regions as a precautionary measure against possible threats of the tropical depression.
Latest data shows 13 individuals are missing due to Quinta, including a crew member of a yacht that sank off in Bauan, Batangas; one from Odiongan, Romblon who was believed to be swept by strong river current; nine fishermen from Catanduanes and Camarines Sur; a fisherman in Iloilo; and another person from Negros Oriental who was also believed to be swept by strong river current.
As of Monday noon, a total of 577 passengers, truck drivers, and cargo helpers; 473 rolling cargoes; 21 vessels; and 10 motorbancas were stranded in Southern Tagalog, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas regions due to typhoon, while 121 vessels and 51 motorbancas were taking shelter as a precautionary measure.
Through its social media account, the Philippine Coast Guard informed of the response to several incidents caused by the Quinta typhoon.
One crew member is missing after the MV Oceanic Explorer 3 submerged due to bad weather, about 0.5 nautical miles off Keppel Shipyard, Barangay San Roque, Bauan, Batangas in the morning hours of Monday. The PCG search and rescue successfully rescued seven of the eight crew members onboard and continue efforts to rescue the last missing crew member.
Meanwhile on Monday, two vessels, the SUPERCAT MV SAINT NURIEL and STARLITE FERRIES MV ANNAPOLIS ran aground due to rough sea condition at vicinity waters off Mabini, Batangas.
All people onboard were rescued and transferred at the Mabini Community Hospital for further medical assistance.
In the same day, PCG assisted the tug MTUG SEDAR 5, after grounding due to rough sea condition at vicinity waters of Barangay Talaga East, Mabini, Batangas.
In addition, PCG successfully assisted 25 local fishermen onboard the vessel ETHAN MATTHEW that encountered strong winds and big waves which caused damages to starboard, in waters of Laoang, Northern Samar.
The PCG Command Center is monitoring to strictly implement guidelines on the movement of vessels during heavy weather. Meanwhile, Coast Guard Districts, Stations, and Sub-Stations across the country are on standby to respond on emergency situations, in coordination with local government units and disaster response teams.
Port operations in Manila were suspended due to the Tropical Storm and are expected to resume at 0600 hours local time, Wednesday.
About 50,000 people were evacuated as the storm approached the island nation. Quinta is forecast to continue to move westward until Tuesday afternoon, after which it will turn west-northwestward towards the western boundary of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) before exiting the area tomorrow morning. Quinta is forecast to re-intensify and may reach its peak intensity within 24-48 hours.
