MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Four people died and one is missing in collision of two motorboats off southern Philippine Maguindanao province on Saturday night, a local official said Sunday.
Banjo Mampon, Sultan Kudarat municipal administrator, said the accident happened around 8:45 p.m. in Rio Grande de Mindanao, the largest river in Mindanao and the Philippines' second longest.
He said the bodies of the four, who all died of drowning, were recovered on Sunday.
According to him, the bigger boat with at least 10 passengers was heading to Katidtuan village in Sultan Kudarat from Cotabato City when it was hit by the smaller boat on the Sultan Kudarat side of the river.
All passengers and boat operators were thrown off the wooden vessels. Those who survived mostly swam to the riverbank while others floated by and were rescued by other boats.
Authorities are searching for the missing passenger.
