The Philippine Coast Guard successfully evacuated 506 passengers, including infants and children, from the interisland ferry Lite Ferry Five, which grounded during the busy Easter Holiday travel period. The vessel, built in 2019, operated a seven-hour route from Jagna Port in Bohol to Cagayan de Oro in the southern Philippines. The ferry, a Ro-Ro type, transports passengers and cars along the 79-nautical mile route.
The incident occurred when the vessel departed at 22:30 on April 19 and drifted approximately 200 meters from the port, coming to rest in shallow waters just offshore. A concerned citizen alerted the Coast Guard, prompting a swift response to rescue the passengers. Small boats were used to ferry everyone safely to shore by Sunday morning, without any reported injuries.
The Coast Guard issued a navigational warning and dispatched a tug from Cebu to extract the ferry. Initial inspections showed no internal hull damage, but a comprehensive marine safety and environmental assessment is ongoing. The Philippines heavily relies on inter-island ferries, with Lite Ferry Company operating 20 ferries on various routes from its base in Cebu.
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