Hours after he was rescued, ferry passenger dies of heart attack

CEBU, Philippines - One of the over 200 passengers rescued from Zamboanga Ferry after it ran aground Thursday while on a docking maneuver at the Dumaguete City Port died at the provincial hospital in Negros Oriental because of heart attack.

Joel Nuñez, 33, of Punta Engano, Lapu-lapu City died at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City hours after he was rescued. Nuñez reportedly had an existing heart condition which was triggered by the incident.

The management of George and Peter Lines which owns the Zamboanga Ferry assured to bring home Nuñez' body. He was one of the 228 passengers rescued when Zamboanga Ferry, due to stormy weather brought about by tropical depression Auring, missed its docking maneuver, with its securing lines disengaged by big waves and strong winds that pushed the passenger ship to a shallow portion of the sea.

The ship grounding resulted in at least five hours of rescue operations to evacuate the passengers and the crew members from the distressed inter-island vessel. All of the people on board were safe except for Nuñez.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has suspended the sea travel of the vessel including a cargo ship which was also damaged by Auring in Dumaguete City.

Chief Petty Officer Ruben Caluscusin, deputy station commander of the Philippine Coast Guard in Dumaguete, said that the MARINA has ordered the immediate suspension of the cargo vessel, SF Navigator, and the M/V Zamboanga Ferry.  Both ships are now docked at the Dumaguete port.

A tug boat had towed the M/V Zamboanga Ferry on Friday to the Dumaguete port after it ran aground about 50 meters away from the Rizal Boulevard.

According to CPO Caluscusin, the SF Navigator incurred damage to its bow and part of the hull after huge waves and strong winds spawned by Auring caused it to slam back and forth against one of the finger piers of the Dumaguete port.

The pier to which the SF Navigator was secured was also badly damaged. Luckily, the mooring lines of the cargo vessel did not break off from the cleats to which they were tied.

The SF Navigator has been docked at the Dumaguete port since December 28 to offload cargo, specifically rice sacks of undetermined volume, the Coast Guard said.

It had already offloaded all its cargo but continued to dock at the city port awaiting its next shipment to another destination as it is engaged in the tramp trade, one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. The SF Navigator, however, continued paying the necessary fees for the duration of its stay at the Dumaguete port.

A visible portion of the SF Navigator's bow and forward portion of the hull was wrecked, with the MARINA to conduct an investigation and underwater survey for damages, the Coast Guard added. — (FREEMAN)