A city-bound Ocean Jet 3 fast craft collided with a barge on anchorage at the narrow Tagbilaran channel at 8:00 last night causing injury to 23 passengers. Except for broken legs and body contusions, no other serious injuries were suffered by the ill-fated passengers. The fast vessel was on its regular late afternoon run from Cebu City when it smashed the moored barge which the boat captain noticed to have no light. According to Capt. Domingo Hoylar, skipper of the Ocean Jet 3, he only saw a tug-boat which was parked near the barge.

The fast craft's prow was badly damaged as a result of the collision while the boat's passenger cabin was a total mess. Passenger seats were observed to be knocked down on impact while life jackets were scattered all over the place. Damage estimate is yet to be ascertained by the boat owners. Panic-stricken passengers grabbed the life saving devices that their hands could lay on apparently in fear that the boat might sink or catch fire. According to an interview with PO1 Cirilo Sambas of the Coast Guard over Station DYTR, 19 passengers and two crewmembers were rushed for emergency treatment at the Ramiro Community Hospital .

Another interview with retired Capt. Enrique Degamo chief harbor pilot, revealed that it was possible that the erring fast craft was at its usual routine of making shortcuts. The retired boat captain noticed that for several times in the past, the fast vessel belonging to the Ocean Jet shipping line was not following its normal channel path. There were also cases, according to the captain, that vessels on anchorage were partly to be blamed because their officers and crew were nowhere to be found. This probably explained why the moored vessel was unlighted when bumped by the speeding fast craft. A Ramiro ambulance was at the pier to ferry injured passengers. Two other passengers identified as Julie Gonzales and Jennylyn Millanar were treated at the Gallares Memorial Hospital for minor injuries. They were sent home after the emergency treatment.

At the Ramiro Hospital , DYTR reporters have a hard time penetrating the tightly guarded emergency room leaving them totally clueless at first as to the identities of those brought for emergency. The figure of 21 treated at the private hospital was provided by the Coast Guard during a radio interview. Since the injury list at the Ramiro Hospital was sketchy at best, only the names of Cecil Yap of YY Builders Depot, Eduardo Juan, 40, and father of Camille Juan, a grand daughter of the owners of Shoppers' Mart were available at press time.

However, the enterprising radio reporters managed to get the names of those injured from different sources. Succeeding reports showed that other passengers who suffered injuries were Nereo Rey Fernandez, 19; his mother Erlinda Fernandez, 72 of Lindaville Subdivision; Michelle Parras, 19 of Uptown Tagbilaran; Alex Realista, 42 of San Roque, Baclayon; and Gaudencio Salahid of Mansasa, this city. A crewmember identified as Arnel Bello, chief engineer of Layawan, Cebu was confined at the Borja Clinic. The boat has a total of 15 crewmembers including the boat captain. The violent incident last night duplicated what happened a week ago in this city when three persons were killed in a smash-up involving five vehicles, two of them motorcycles.