More than 1,300 persons were rescued to safety after passenger shipping vessel Super Ferry 19 encountered engine malfunction and was forced to return to the Port of Cebu late Saturday evening.

Philippine Coast Guard Public Information Officer Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo said that Super Ferry 19, carrying a total of 1,324 including 100 children, 74 infants, and 151 officials and crew members onboard, left the Terminal 6 of the Port of Cebu around noontime bound for Zamboanga City.

At around 1:30 p.m., while the ship was coasting along the vicinity of Vic Cabilao Island in Bohol, a minor explosion was heard by some passengers near the vessel’s auxiliary engine, thus causing panic which prompted ship Captain Teofilo Aureo Jr. to head back towards the Cebu Port Terminal.

“Nagkaroon daw ng spark in the auxiliary engine portion of Super Ferry 19 kaya medyo bumagal yung takbo ng barko. Later on namatay na rin yung air-conditioning system kaya umangal ‘yung mga pasehero dahil sobrang init sa loob,” Lt. Cmdr. Balilo said. “At same time mabagal yung takbo kaya no choice yung ship captain (Aureo) but to return to the Cebu Port.”

The ship arrived at the Cebu Port around 4:55 p.m. with all the passengers in safe condition.

Balilo said that Coast Guard officials in the area alerted their rescue ship BRP-San Juan (SARV-001) and two other medium craft search and rescue vessels for the possible transport of the said passengers, which are currently stranded in the said port as of 5 p.m. Saturday.