A ferry with more than 350 people on board sank off the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 18 people, according to coast guard officials. The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 was sailing from the port city of Zamboanga to southern Jolo island in Sulu province with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank shortly after midnight.
Rescue and Recovery
Coast guard and navy ships, along with a surveillance plane and an air force Black Hawk helicopter, rescued at least 316 people from the sinking. Search operations continue for about two dozen people believed missing near the vessel’s last known position. The ferry sank about a nautical mile from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province.
According to coast guard Commander Romel Dua, two coast guard safety officers on board were the first to alert authorities and call for rescue vessels to be deployed. Both safety officers survived.
A Family Separated at Sea
“My wife lost hold of our baby and all of us got separated at sea,” Mohamad Khan told a volunteer rescuer, Gamar Alih, in remarks Alih posted on Facebook. Khan said he and his wife were rescued, but their 6-month-old child drowned. His wife wept by his side as Khan recounted their ordeal.
Cause Under Investigation
The coast guard had cleared the ferry before it left the Zamboanga port, and there was no sign of overloading, Dua said. The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear, and officials said an investigation will follow.
Officials are also looking into unverified reports that 15 passengers on the ship’s manifest decided not to board at the last minute and refunded their fares. If confirmed, that would reduce the number of people still missing, Dua said.
A Pattern of Maritime Disasters
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, poorly maintained vessels, overcrowding, and inconsistent enforcement of safety regulations, particularly 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 world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.