Huge waves kill 2 fishermen in Southern Leyte

Two fishermen died while six others were saved after the motor banca they were maneuvering was hit by huge waves on Christmas day in Southern Leyte, a report from the Philippine Coast Guard said on Monday.

The report identified the fatalities as Aldin Pagkalinawan, 49, and Roel Jalil, 50.

The fishermen saved were identified as Romeo Cabalida, 26; Tommy Descartin, 46; Kenneth Preguli, 24; Garry Descartin, 47; Artaliodo Talledo, 28; and Guillermo Habagat, 30.

The incident transpired in the waters off Barangay Manglit, Pintuyan, Southern Leyte on 25 December 2022.

"The eight fishermen on board encountered strong winds and big waves during a fishing venture at the vicinity waters off San Ricardo, Southern Leyte. They tried to take shelter, but their motor banca submerged due to the prevailing sea and weather conditions," the PCG report said.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Pintuyan coordinated with the concerned local government units to assist the rescued fishermen and the bereaved families of the deceased individuals, the report added.

State-owned weather forecaster PAGASA on Monday warned that a shear line could spawn floods and landslides in some parts of the country, stating that Eastern Visayas, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands would likely have cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rain showers and thunderstorms due to the shear line, while cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms were possible over northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, and the rest of Visayas and Caraga.