6 bodies recovered beneath battered barge in Bataan

At least six bodies of fishermen were recovered Thursday beneath a barge that smashed a fishing boat in Bataan as Typhoon Basyang pounded the province last Wednesday.

Superintendent Rommel Velasco of the Mariveles town police said the six men were on board F/V Alicia when the barge hit their boat. The impact caused the fishing vessel to overturn, throwing the fishermen beneath the barge. "Nabangga ng barge dahil sa malakas na hangin... Tumaob iyun at napasailalim na sila," Velasco said. "Na-recover namin ang mga katawan nung alisin ang barge. Lumutang na sila isa-isa," he added. As of this posting, only two of the six fatalities have been identified: Joel Aban, 30; and Leoncito Unsag, 32. The local police said rescue teams in the province are still searching for 10 other people reported to have been missing in Bataan waters as Basyang swept through Central Luzon. Meanwhile, some people have remained missing, including four in Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte and two in Bagamanoc, Catanduanes. Typhoon Basyang, which weakened into a tropical storm but still caused a massive power outage across Luzon, left the Philippines Thursday morning, heading for China. State weather forecasters said Basyang was the first of three weather disturbances expected to visit the Philippines in July. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV