Iloilo archbishop urges steps to prevent another sea tragedy

A church official condoled the families of the victims of the Iloilo sea tragedy and urged the government to take steps to prevent such a “tragic” accident from happening again.

Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo of Jaro expressed sorrow over the dozens of lives lost when three motorboats capsized off Iloilo Strait on Aug. 3.

The death toll has so far risen to 31, with no more missing, officials said.

“We condole with families of those victims who died, and we sympathize with those who survived the accident,” Lazo said.

“We call on the government for immediate action to prevent these accidents happen again,” he said.

The government has already suspended some coastguard and maritime officials in Iloilo and Guimaras Island pending a probe into the tragedy.

The motorboats were reportedly allowed to sail despite stormy weather during that day.

The archbishop thanked those who helped in the search and retrieval operations of the missing victims as well as those who assisted the people affected by the tragedy.

“Let us continue to pray for strength from the Lord in these times of great distress,” Lazo said. CBCPNEWS