At least 15 people were dead, and 28 remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying more than 350 people sank early Monday morning (Jan 26) off the southern Philippines, authorities said, as rescue operations continued amid rough seas.
The MV Trisha Kerstin 3 issued a distress signal at around 1.50 am, more than four hours after it departed the Port of Zamboanga City on the southwestern tip of Mindanao, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. The vessel was en route to Jolo Island in Sulu province when it encountered trouble.
Coast guard commander Romel Dua said at least 316 passengers and crew had been rescued so far. “We have confirmed 15 fatalities, while 28 individuals are still unaccounted for,” Dua told reporters, adding that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
The 44-metre, triple-decker ferry sank about 5km east of Baluk-Baluk Island, part of the Basilan island chain off the Zamboanga peninsula. A coast guard aircraft has been deployed to assist in the search, while the Philippine Navy and Air Force have also sent assets to the area.
“Based on the account of some survivors, the waters in the area were rough at the time of the incident,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab said in a televised interview.
Local emergency services have been overwhelmed by the number of survivors needing treatment. Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez said rescuers were struggling to cope with the sudden influx of patients. “The challenge really is the number of patients that are coming in. We are short-staffed at the moment,” she said, noting that at least 18 survivors had been taken to a local hospital.
Video footage released by the coast guard showed survivors being pulled from the water and given medical assistance, while live videos on social media captured desperate shouts for help in the darkness.
Authorities said the cause of the sinking was not yet known. “We cannot say for now the reason for the sinking, but we were instructed to conduct a marine casualty investigation to determine the cause,” Dua said. “As of now, we are focused on the rescue.”
In a statement, the coast guard said the ferry had not been overloaded. Survivors were being transported to coast guard stations in Zamboanga City and Isabela City.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands and a population of about 116 million, has a long history of deadly ferry accidents. Many people rely on inexpensive and often poorly regulated inter-island vessels, despite recurring maritime disasters.
