At least fifteen people have died after a passenger ferry sank in the southern Philippines early Monday, as rescue teams continued searching for dozens of people still missing, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
Officials said three hundred sixteen passengers were pulled from the water following the accident involving the vessel MV Trisha Kerstin 3, which went down while traveling from Zamboanga City to Jolo in Sulu province.
The Coast Guard said the ferry encountered trouble around 1:50 a.m. local time shortly after leaving Zamboanga, a major port city in Mindanao. The ship was carrying three hundred thirty two passengers and twenty seven crew members, operating within its authorized capacity of three hundred fifty two people.
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Search operations have been focused in waters near Basilan province, where survivors were brought ashore at Isabela port.
Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua of the Southern Mindanao District said relatively calm sea conditions had allowed rescuers to move quickly.
“The search is ongoing and we are still looking for twenty eight missing individuals,” Dua told Reuters by phone. He said both naval and air assets had been deployed to support the effort.
Footage shared online by Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman showed survivors arriving at port wrapped in thermal blankets, with others carried on stretchers by emergency workers.
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Hataman told local radio station DZBB that most survivors were in stable condition, though several elderly passengers required urgent medical treatment. He said authorities were continuing to verify the passenger list as rescue operations progressed.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials confirmed that an investigation had been launched to determine what caused the ferry to sink. No immediate cause was identified.
Maritime accidents remain a persistent safety concern in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than seven thousand islands where ferries are a primary mode of transport. Overcrowding, sudden weather changes, and aging vessels have contributed to fatal incidents over the years, according to previous government and media reports.
