Two people reportedly died after a passenger vessel and a water taxi collided in the vicinity waters off Verde Island, Batangas, on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
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It appeared in the initial investigation that passenger vessel Ocean Jet 6 was on its way to Calapan from Batangas while water taxi Hop & Go 1 was en route to Batangas from Puerto Galera when the maritime incident occurred.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the collision occurred at around 12:30 in the afternoon.
Coast Guard Station Batangas Commander, CG Captain Jerome Jeciel, said two Filipino crew members of Hop & Go 1 lost their lives due to the incident: a boat captain and a third mate.
Two of the four Chinese passengers were reportedly wounded; the other two were in good condition, while a Swedish passenger returned home.
Meanwhile, wounded passengers are currently receiving medical aid, while the authorities are coordinating with the bereaved families of the two Filipino crew members.
"Two other crew members are at the Coast Guard Sub-Station Puerto Galera, providing their sworn statements regarding the maritime incident to determine the cause of the collision," the PCG said.
