35 bodies recovered, 40 rescued off Burias, Masbate - mayor

MANILA, Philippines – At least 35 bodies have been fished out of sea while 40 people were rescued off the coast of Burias Island in Masbate province on Monday, a local official said in a radio interview. Claveria town Mayor Eduardo Andueza said that the bodies could not have only come from the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars but also from other vessels that reportedly capsized at sea during the last few days. “Hindi ko masabi kung lahat ng bangkay na narito ay galing sa Princess of the Stars gawa ng marami pong barko ang lumubog (I cannot tell if the bodies all came from Princess of the Stars since a number of ships also sank due to the typhoon)," said Andueza, citing reports that indicate some fishing vessels also sank off the coast of the province at the height of the storm. He added that some of the 40 survivors even told him they came from a cargo vessel, MV Lake Paway, which departed from Mindanao but later sank at sea. “May naligtas na tatlong buhay doon sa barko na iyon Nasa barangay na po papunta na rito (Three of the crewmembers were rescued and they are on their way here)," Andueza said. Andueza however could not immediately release a complete list of all the 40 survivors saying they were rescued from various villages that were difficult to reach by boat. “Hindi namin mapuntahan para makuha ang pangalan kasi malalayo po at mahirap puntahan dahil malalakas ang alon (We can’t go to each village to get their names because they’re too far and the waves are still big)," Andueza said, assuring however that the survivors are either receiving treatment in hospitals or in village halls. Fearing that more bodies will be washed ashore since the direction of the current goes toward Masbate, Andueza said he has already deployed fishing vessels and rescue boats to rescue more passengers. The Claveria mayor even quoted survivors as pleading that their other colleagues who were left alive at sea be rescued. The more serious problem the local government of Claveria town is facing, however, is how to attend to the decaying bodies of the fatalities. “Ang kailangan naming dito ay cadaver bags. Kung maari lang sana makapagdala kayo ng formalin (solution) at embalmer kasi may mga bago pang mga patay (We need body bags, formalin solution and embalmers because there are bodies are still fresh)," Andueza said. With only one town doctor at hand, the Claveria mayor said he even had to ask one of his men to purchase a formalin from a funeral home since it was the only place where they could get one. He also requested that a helicopter be deployed in their area so that the bodies could be airlifted. As for the other bodies, city officials had already been forced to bury them since residents could no longer endure the foul odor. Andueza however assured that they had taken a photograph of each of the bodies for later identification or exhumation if necessary. “Ang ginawa ko, pinapicture-an ko na lang at may identification ang bawat isa. Doon ko na lang ipinalibing sa malayo sa mga bahay kasi hindi na mahawakan ng iba (I took a photograph of each of the bodies, and placed an identification in each. We buried them in an isolated place, far from residences)," he said. - By Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV