The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 ferry sank near Basilan province with 359 people aboard, killing at least 15 and prompting a major rescue operation that saved 316 lives
A ferry carrying more than 350 people has sunk near an island in the southern Philippines, with rescuers managing to save at least 316 passengers whilst recovering 15 bodies following the tragedy.
The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger vessel, was travelling from the port city of Zamboanga to southern Jolo island in Sulu province with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it seemingly experienced technical difficulties and went down after midnight, according to coast guard officials, reports the Express..
Mohamad Khan, one of the survivors, described how the ferry suddenly listed to one side and began taking on water, throwing passengers including himself and his wife, who was clutching their six-month-old baby, into the dark waters. Whilst he and his wife were pulled to safety, their infant tragically drowned.
“My wife lost hold of our baby and all of us got separated at sea,” a devastated Khan told a volunteer rescuer.
The vessel went down in calm conditions approximately a nautical mile (nearly two kilometres) from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province, according to coast guard Commander Romel Dua.
“There was a coast guard safety officer on board and he was the first to call and alert us to deploy rescue vessels,” Dua said, adding that the safety officer survived.
Coast guard and navy vessels, accompanied by a surveillance aircraft, an air force Black Hawk helicopter and numerous fishing boats were conducting search and rescue operations off Basilan, Dua said. Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman confirmed that numerous passengers and two bodies were transported to Isabela, the provincial capital, where he awaited their arrival alongside ambulance crews.
“I’m receiving 37 people here in the pier. Unfortunately two are dead,” Hataman said, speaking by cellphone from the Isabela pier.
The coast guard reported that 316 passengers had been saved and at least 15 bodies recovered.
The reason behind the ferry’s sinking remained unclear and an investigation would follow, Dua explained, noting that the coast guard had approved the vessel’s departure from Zamboanga port with no indication of overloading.
Maritime accidents are commonplace across the Philippine archipelago due to regular storms, poorly maintained boats, excessive passenger numbers and patchy enforcement of safety rules, particularly in outlying 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.
