Ferry carrying more than 350 people sinks in Philippines, killing at least seven | Aviation news

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The coast guard says at least 215 people have been rescued, while the search for 144 missing people is ongoing.

A ferry carrying more than 350 people capsized off the coast of Basilan province in the southern Philippines, killing at least seven people, authorities said.

The accident occurred after midnight Monday while the passenger ship, MV Trisha Kerstin‍3, was en route to Jolo Island in southern Sulu province after leaving the port city of Zamboanga.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the ship had 332 passengers and 27 crew members.

Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua of the Southern Mindanao district told DZBB radio that 215 people had been rescued and seven bodies recovered, while search and rescue operations continued for another 144 people missing.

Dua said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident.

Arsina Laja Kahing-Nanoh, mayor of the town in Basilan province, said in a Facebook post that there were at least “eight confirmed casualties” following the ferry sinking. She posted a video of coast guard personnel rescuing several people and carrying the bodies from the water to a boat.

In a separate video statement, Kahing-Nanoh added that rough seas and darkness were hampering search and rescue operations.

Ronalyn Perez, a Basilan rescue worker, told the AFP news agency that “at least 138 people” had so far been rescued.

“The challenge here is really the number of patients coming in. We’re understaffed at the moment,” Perez said, adding that 18 people had been brought to a local hospital.

The PCG said rescue efforts were still underway.

Dua, coast guard commander in Mindanao, said the cause of the ferry sinking was not immediately clear and an investigation would be launched. He added that the Coast Guard cleared the ferry before it left Zamboanga Port and there were no signs of overloading.

Accidents at sea are common in the Philippine archipelago due to frequent storms, poorly maintained ships, overcrowding and uneven enforcement of safety rules, particularly in remote provinces.

At least two Filipino sailors were reported killed and 15 others rescued after a Singapore-flagged general cargo ship sank en route to China from the southern island of Mindanao on Friday. Four other sailors remain missing.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a tanker truck in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.