40 rescued as vessel sinks of Surigao del Norte

A total of 40 people were rescued when a passenger boat sank off Surigao del Norte province on Tuesday, a police report said. The vessel "Maricris" sank more or less three kilometers from the coastline of San Benito municipality at about 5 p.m., the report said. The report, however, did not mention the route of the vessel.

Police from Santa Monica and San Benito municipalities immediately responded to the incident. "All passengers were rescued and ferried back to the port of Santa Monica," the report said. Authorities were still determining the cause of the sinking as of posting time. — KBK, GMA News