At least 21 people died on Thursday as a result of the crash of a passenger boat on a lake in the Philippine province of Rizal, east of Manila, Xinhua reports.
At the time of the accident, the ship was heading from the city of Binangonan to Talim Island on Bai Lake, the largest in the Philippines.
According to a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard, strong winds hit the ship, causing panic among passengers.
“They ran to the port side of the ship, causing it to capsize,” the report said.
Initially, the Coast Guard reported that 30 people had died in the incident. Later, the Rizal provincial police said that 21 people had drowned and 40 more had been rescued.
It is noted that the incident occurred when Typhoon Doxuri was leaving the Philippines, causing floods and landslides that killed at least five people.