Philippine ferry tragedy death toll rises to 27
16/12/2008 17:10
Philippine marine-time rescuers retrieved four more bodies as they
continued to search for the 28 missing passengers on the rough waters in
northern Philippines, where a wooden-hulled ferry capsized late Sunday and
drowned 27 passengers so far, a coast guard spokesman said today.
According
to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Gary Dale Gimotea, four more bodies --
three girls and a boy -- were retrieved from the ill-fated vessel after almost
24 hours of operation. The bodies have yet to be identified.
Rescuers
yesterday pulled ashore 23 bodies from the capsized MBCA MAEJIN passenger cargo
ferry which encountered high winds and rough waves Sunday night near Aparri port
of Cagayan province after hours of tough sailing. Of some 100 people on board,
46 have survived either by swimming to the shore or being picked up by the
passing boats.
The coast guard authority has mobilized at least two rescue
vessels and one helicopter into the operation and has requested the navy and
other marine-time agencies for assistance.
Gimotea said that the ferry may
have capsized since it carried twice its capacity of 50 passengers.
"Under
the Marina circulars, there should be a mandatory display of maximum authorized
passenger capacity. The captain should've declared that only 40 passengers
should be boarded on that vessel, but it seems that he neglected that Marina
circular," he told local television ANC in this morning interview.
Rescuers
said the hope of survival is diminishing as rescue operations are hampered by
the strong winds and high waves more than 36 hours after the
capsizal.
Xinhua
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