The Philippine Coast Guard yesterday said it had rescued 252 passengers and crew, including an Australian and his Philippine wife, and recovered five bodies from a ferry that capsized east of the capital, Manila.
A Philippine vessel capsized on Thursday because of bad weather, highlighting frequent boat accidents in the Southeast Asian nation that is composed of more than 7,000 islands.
The coast guard has confirmed five deaths, while 252 passengers, including an Australian and his Philippine wife, were rescued, spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said.
“All the passengers and crew are accounted for, but as I have said, we will re-evaluate based on the claims of the families of the missing passengers,” Balilo told reporters.
The vessel was carrying 257 passengers and crew.
The boat left the port at about 9am and capsized an hour later due to strong winds and giant waves.
A survivor said the passengers panicked when the boat started to take in water and went to one side, causing the ferry to tilt and capsize.
“The others waited on top of the ship while it was sinking, but I didn’t do that because I know the ship will break down and I want to avoid getting hurt by that,” rescued passenger Rene Ebuenga said.
“That’s dangerous and the big waves can slam debris to your body,” Ebuenga added.
The ferry capsized and sank about 8km off Quezon Province, east of the capital on the main northern island of Luzon.
The coast guard said it would conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the incident and to verify possible oil spills.
Separately, Tropical Storm Tembin, packing central winds of 80kph, made landfall on the southern island of Mindanao early yesterday.
It weakened after hitting the land mass, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said yesterday.
However, the weather agency warned of extensive flooding and landslides until the storm exits the Philippines tomorrow.
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