‘Dindo’ destroys over 5,500 houses in Bicol

MASBATE CITY — Typhoon "Dindo" destroyed more than 5,500 houses across the Bicol region which it pummeled early this week, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

The breakdown: 950 houses in Albay, three each in Camarines Norte and Sorsogon, 744 in Camarines Sur and 3,896 in Catanduanes.

The OCD added that the howler caused damage to a total of 17,572 houses throughout the southern region.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard reported that a 19-year-old female passenger of a motorized banca drowned after she fell into the water off Burias Island in Masbate last Monday.

Lt. Cmdr. Edgar Boado, operations officer of the Coast Guard’s Bicol district, said the victim, Gretchen Golde, plunged into the sea after their banca, the MB Pedmars, smashed into another vessel, the MB Maribel, which was tied to it, due to the big waves and strong winds.

MB Pedmars was carrying 20 passengers and eight crewmembers.

The Coast Guard also reported that three passengers of another motorized banca, MB Emman, were rescued after their vessel capsized off Pilar, Masbate, also last Monday.

In a related development, a woman drowned and 16 others sustained injuries when their motorboat sank off San Luis, Aurora last Monday, a belated report said.

The vessel, MV Gretchen, was en route to Barangay Dikapinisan in San Luis, Aurora when big waves spawned by typhoon "Dindo" battered it.

Law enforcers and fishermen joined hands to rescue the 16 passengers who were brought to the Aurora Memorial Hospital in Baler town for treatment. — With Ric Sapnu