Ferry with hundreds of people sinks off the Philippines: 15 dead, 316 rescued

A ferry with more than 350 people on board sank early Monday off an island in the southern Philippines. Rescuers saved at least 316 passengers and recovered 15 bodies, officials said, UNN reports with reference to AP.

Details

The inter-island cargo and passenger ferry Trisha Kerstin 3 was en route from the port city of Zamboanga to the southern island of Jolo in Sulu province with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank after midnight local time, coast guard officials said.

The ferry sank in good weather about one nautical mile (almost 2 kilometers) from the island village of Baluk-Baluk in Basilan province, said Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua.

"There was a coast guard officer on board, and he was the first to call and notify us to send rescue vessels," Dua said, adding that the officer survived.

Coast Guard and Navy ships, along with a surveillance aircraft, a Basilan Air Force helicopter, and a fleet of fishing boats, were conducting search and rescue operations off Basilan, Dua said.

The Coast Guard reported that 316 passengers were rescued and at least 15 bodies were found.

The cause of the ferry's sinking was not immediately clear, and an investigation will be conducted, Dua said, adding that the Coast Guard inspected the ferry before it left Zamboanga port and there were no signs of overloading.

Supplement

Maritime accidents in the Philippine archipelago are common due to frequent storms, poorly maintained vessels, overloading, and inconsistent adherence to safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.