Chances of finding survivors in Iloilo river mishap dim

IGBARAS, Iloilo — Local authorities have called off search and rescue operations and instead focused on retrieving the bodies of 21 passengers still missing when strong current swept away a mini-bus at a river crossing in a mountainous village here last Monday.

So far, rescuers have retrieved the bodies of 22 people, all passengers of the J&J mini-bus which was swept away as it was crossing the Tangyan River in Barangay Barasan Monday noon.

The mini-bus was carrying some 50 mourners who had just attended a funeral when its engine conked out while in the middle of the so-called Songsongan overflow.

Raging waters carrying debris from the mountains swept it off the road and into the swollen river.

"The chances of finding survivors are almost nil. To find a survivor at this time would, indeed, be a miracle," Igbaras Mayor James Esmeralda told The STAR.

He said they called off the search for survivors a few hours after the tragedy happened and instead focused on finding the bodies of the casualties.

"We still hope though that there would be survivors," he added.

Esmeralda said rescuers found the bodies of seven passengers inside the mini-bus last night, but could not retrieve them because of the strong current.

He said the bodies of the other casualties might have been carried downstream.

Yesterday morning, a number of rescuers left Barangay Barasan and scoured the different areas downstream, hoping to find more bodies.

The latest to be retrieved was the body of one Antonio Estrellanes, which was found in the shoreline of Barangay Buyuan in Tigbauan town, more than 20 kilometers away from where the accident occurred.

Portions of the mini bus were found more than a kilometer away.

Meanwhile, the government is extending financial assistance to the families of the casualties.

Chief Superintendent Geary Barias, chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council, told Esmeralda yesterday that the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is giving P10,000 to each family, on top of the P5,000 from the provincial government and another P5,000 from the municipal government.

Those admitted in the hospitals will also be receiving P5,000 from the NDCC, Barias said.

The municipal council of Igbaras, some 50 kilometers away from Iloilo City, has placed the barangays of Bagay, Lab-on, Corocuan, Igtalungon and Barasan under a state of calamity.

Esmeralda said the casualties hailed from these mountain villages.