MANILA, Philippines – At least 3,061 passengers have been stranded in ports due to Tropical Depression Agaton, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
The PCG recorded this around midnight of Tuesday, January 2, an hour before Agaton's landfall in the Siargao island and Dinagat Islands area. On Tuesday, many are expected to head to ports and bus terminals to return to work after the New Year's Day festivities.
Based on the PCG report, the biggest number of stranded passengers was in Northern Mindanao with 1,519 passengers in 5 different ports. The rest of the stranded passengers and vessels come from Central and Eastern Visayas.
In its latest weather bulletin on Tuesday morning, state weather bureau PAGASA hoisted public storm warning signal number 1 over 14 areas where sea travel is also suspended.
PAGASA also advised the public that it is risky to venture out into the seaboards of Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon, eastern seaboard of Central Luzon, and eastern and western seaboards of the Visayas due to the surge of the northeast monsoon.
In the past, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) has advised passengers to monitor weather updates and be guided by travel schedule and advisories to avoid getting stranded in ports. (READ: Prepare for Agaton, first possible storm of 2018 – NDRRMC)
On Tuesday, the PCG said that it recorded 23,152 and 6,125 outbound passengers in all ports nationwide as of 12 am and 6 am, respectively. – Rappler.com