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More ferry survivors found in Philippines
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-23 10:42 CEBU - Twenty-eight passengers from a capsized passenger ferry were reported alive in the central Philippines on Monday but more than 800 remain missing after the ship sank during a typhoon.
The survivors made it to a small coastal village after drifting at sea for more than 24 hours in a rubber boat, radio dzBB reported. Two others originally on board the life raft drowned in large swells. The discovery raises the number of survivors to 32. Four people were confirmed dead on Sunday. More than 800 people were still missing after the MV Princess of Stars sank 3 km (2 miles) from Sibuyan island in the central Philippines as Typhoon Fengshen roared past. Coast guard boats battling winds and high waves were scouring the area around the 23,824 gross tonne ferry and divers were expected to enter the vessel later. A helicopter and plane were also en route. "We are checking whether there were people trapped inside the ferry," Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, the head of coast guard, said. "We might have to drill holes so our divers can access it." Typhoon Fengshen, with maximum gusts of 195 kph (120 mph), has killed at least 155 people in central and southern Philippines, with the western Visayas region, famed for its sandy beaches and sugar plantations, the worst affected. It pounded the archipelago, damaging thousands of houses and displacing tens of thousands of people. "We got hit real bad this time," said Richard Gordon, the chairman of the Philippines' Red Cross. Pandemonium In the central city of Cebu, where Princess of Stars was meant to dock, dozens of relatives waited into the morning for news. "The last time I heard from my son was on Friday evening when the ship left Manila. He texted to say he was coming home," said Celecia Tudtud, a mother of four. "I really hope he's OK," she said, wiping away tears. Sulpicio Lines, the ship's owner, revised up the number of people on the vessel late on Sunday to 845 from an initial estimate of 740 plus. At least 20 children and 33 infants were on board. |
