At least 25 dead, 6 missing as boat capsizes near Philippine capital
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MANILA - A small boat capsized in a lake near the Philippine capital Manila on Thursday, killing at least 25 people on board and leaving six others missing, rescuers said.
The passenger boat capsized amid strong winds in a lake in Rizal province, 37km south-east of Manila, on Thursday afternoon, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
It was not immediately clear how many people were on board, but Mr Jose Hernandez, chief of the disaster agency of Binangonan town, said 40 people have been rescued. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, he added.
“What happened was they panicked after a sudden gust of wind. They ran to the left side and the boat capsized,” PCG spokesman Rear-Admiral Armando Balilo said in a radio interview as rescuers searched Laguna lake.
The boat was around 45m from land when it was hit by strong winds, causing all passengers to panic and move to one side, which caused the vessel to capsize, the coast guard said in a separate statement.
The Philippines was this week hit by Typhoon Doksuri,
