At least 13 bodies have been recovered and more than 100 people remain missing after an inter-island ferry carrying over 300 passengers and crew sank early Monday in waters off Basilan province in the southern Philippines, authorities said.
The Philippine Coast Guard in Southwestern Mindanao said the ferry was en route from Zamboanga City to Jolo Island in Sulu province when it went down near Balukbaluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad, a municipality in Basilan province, according to Xinhua news agency.
Rescue teams had pulled at least 13 bodies from the water as of early Monday, while dozens of survivors were rescued by Coast Guard units, navy vessels and nearby fishing boats. Officials said 244 passengers had been rescued so far.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear and remains under investigation. The Coast Guard said the ferry had been cleared before departing Zamboanga port and there were no signs of overloading. The exact number of survivors is still being verified.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with aircraft and sea assets deployed to scour the area despite rough sea conditions.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago due to 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 what remains the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.
–IANS
