MANILA: The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day.
Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea.
President Rodrigo Duterte flew to typhoon-hit provinces and warned in a speech in Camarines Sur that he’ll throw out of a helicopter anybody who would steal the financial aid he brought for storm survivors. “I’ve done that, why won’t I do it again?” Duterte said in a threat that won applause from typhoon survivors.
The Starlite Atlantic sought cover in an anchorage area as the typhoon passed and its crew decided to move to safer waters but encountered huge waves and fierce winds, causing their ship to sink, Balilo said, adding that another passenger and cargo ship ran aground in Mabini, south of Manila.
At least seven people died from the typhoon, including the sunken ship’s crewman and villagers who drowned from flooding or were pinned by fallen trees or a collapsed wall in Albay and Quezon provinces.
Duterte flew to the hard-hit town of Virac on the eastern island province of Catanduanes, where the typhoon made landfall on Sunday night, to witness the distribution of food packs to residents. Ahead of the president’s visit, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and top military officials flew to Virac and were stunned by the extent of devastation.
“Their common perception is that Virac is completely devastated,” military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said of the coastal town of more than 70,000 people. The province’s coconut plantations, the primary industry, were destroyed and may take five to 10 years to recover, he said.
From a helicopter, “we saw the devastation of coconuts, abaca and the forests. There are lots of houses without roofs,” Lorenzana said by text message. “There is no electricity yet in all of Catanduanes.”
The president’s past extreme comments against suspected drug pushers and corrupt officials have left many wondering if he was exaggerating, and administration officials have said he often uses hyperbole as a scare tactic.
Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea.
President Rodrigo Duterte flew to typhoon-hit provinces and warned in a speech in Camarines Sur that he’ll throw out of a helicopter anybody who would steal the financial aid he brought for storm survivors. “I’ve done that, why won’t I do it again?” Duterte said in a threat that won applause from typhoon survivors.
The Starlite Atlantic sought cover in an anchorage area as the typhoon passed and its crew decided to move to safer waters but encountered huge waves and fierce winds, causing their ship to sink, Balilo said, adding that another passenger and cargo ship ran aground in Mabini, south of Manila.
At least seven people died from the typhoon, including the sunken ship’s crewman and villagers who drowned from flooding or were pinned by fallen trees or a collapsed wall in Albay and Quezon provinces.
Duterte flew to the hard-hit town of Virac on the eastern island province of Catanduanes, where the typhoon made landfall on Sunday night, to witness the distribution of food packs to residents. Ahead of the president’s visit, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and top military officials flew to Virac and were stunned by the extent of devastation.
“Their common perception is that Virac is completely devastated,” military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said of the coastal town of more than 70,000 people. The province’s coconut plantations, the primary industry, were destroyed and may take five to 10 years to recover, he said.
From a helicopter, “we saw the devastation of coconuts, abaca and the forests. There are lots of houses without roofs,” Lorenzana said by text message. “There is no electricity yet in all of Catanduanes.”
The president’s past extreme comments against suspected drug pushers and corrupt officials have left many wondering if he was exaggerating, and administration officials have said he often uses hyperbole as a scare tactic.
