Nearly 30 feared dead as passenger boat capsizes in Philippines

Around 30 passengers are feared dead after a boat - MBCA Princess Aya - capsized in a lake near the Philippine capital on Thursday, Philippine News Agency reported. Mishap took place as all passengers moved towards one side after strong winds battered the boat.

Manila (Philippine) : Around 40 passengers have been rescued while 30 others are feared dead after a boat capsized in a lake near the Philippine capital on Thursday, Philippine News Agency reported. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that MBCA Princess Aya capsized about 50 yards away from Barangay Kalinawan in Binangonan.

According to the agency, the incident took place around 1 am when the motorized boat was battered by strong winds that caused passengers to panic and group to its port side, causing it to capsize. It noted that the number of individuals rescued and casualties are not yet finalized and are still being checked, reported Philippine News Agency, according to ANI.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the area. It was not immediately confirmed as how many passengers in all were travelling onboard the boat at the time of the tragedy. Rescuers began looking for any more survivors in the ghastly incident. The accident spot was just a two hours drive from the capital city of Manila. Those who were rescued informed about several of their fellow members were missing in the incident and search was intensified for them.

Gusts of winds suddenly hit the boat in the rough waters that made the frightened passengers to take cover in one corner of the boat that eventually caused the mishap, sources said.