The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Southeastern Mindanao on Saturday confirmed the recovery of seven bodies believed to be among the 15 crew members of the sunken motor banca MBCA Amejara along the shores of Sarangani.
PCG Southeastern Mindanao Commander Commodore Philipps Soria said five bodies were initially spotted floating on Saturday morning.
“Four bodies were sighted in one sector, while another was found in a separate sector during a combined search using marine and air assets,” Soria said.
Authorities confirmed that the bodies belonged to the MBCA Amejara as the victims were wearing life vests and were found among floating debris.
Search and recovery operations continued as of 2 p.m., bringing the total number of recovered bodies to seven.
A Philippine Navy vessel has been deployed to retrieve the remains, while authorities and other agencies continue searching for the remaining missing crew members and working to verify the victims’ identities.
