42 killed in Philippine ferry capsizal, government "saddened"
5/11/2008 17:01
The Philippine government today said it was saddened by a sea mishap in
the central province of Masbate as the death toll rose to 42 one day after the
tragedy.
The MV Don Dexter Kathleen capsized off Masbate yesterday afternoon
when a sudden gust of wind hit the vessel at 1 p.m. local time (0300
GMT).
Rescue teams recovered a manifest of the ferry, which showed there were
119 passengers and six crew members on the boat, but the police said that there
were more as they received reports that some were on board but their names were
not in the manifest.
As of this noon, 42 fatalities have been recovered while
eight remain missing, said Reuben Sindac, police director of the province. A
total of 100 passengers survived the incident.
The eight passengers still
missing are "feared dead" unless they managed to swim ashore, he added.
"(The
presidential) Palace is deeply saddened by the Masbate ferry mishap and
commiserates with the families of victims," deputy presidential spokesperson
Lorelai Fajardo said in a statement.
"Palace is coordinating with local
government and the Philippine National Red Cross and Coast Guard to extend all
necessary help and support to rescue remaining missing passengers, " the
spokesperson added.
As an archipelago with more than 7,000 islands and heavy
dependence on sea-going vessels for transport, the Southeast Asian country is
frequently haunted by sea mishaps, large or small.
On June 21, another ferry,
named The M/V Princess of the Stars, overturned off the central province of
Romblon at the height of Typhoon Fengshen, with 862 people on board. No more
than 60 survived the disaster. Currently, the ill-fated vessel is still floating
upside down off Romblon.
Xinhua
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