A passenger ferry carrying more than 350 people has sunk off the coast of southern Philippines, leaving at least 15 people dead while hundreds were rescued in an overnight emergency operation, Philippine authorities have confirmed.
The vessel, M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry, went down shortly after midnight near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province, about one nautical mile from shore. The ferry was travelling from Zamboanga City to Jolo Island in Sulu province when it reportedly developed technical faults and began taking in water.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the ferry had 332 passengers and 27 crew members on board at the time of the incident. As of Monday morning, 316 passengers had been rescued, while 15 bodies had been recovered. Search and rescue efforts were still ongoing.
Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua said the sinking occurred despite calm weather conditions, ruling out rough seas as a possible cause.
“There was a coast guard safety officer on board, and he was the first to alert us. That helped us deploy rescue assets immediately,” Dua said, confirming that the officer survived the incident.
Survivors described moments of panic as the ferry suddenly tilted and plunged into darkness. One passenger, Mohamad Khan, recounted how the vessel leaned sharply to one side before water rushed in, throwing passengers into the sea.
“My wife was holding our six-month-old baby when we were all thrown into the water,” Khan said, adding that the infant slipped from his wife’s grasp and drowned during the chaos. His emotional account was later shared by volunteer rescuer Gamar Alih, a local councilor who joined the rescue effort after learning that relatives were among the passengers.
Rescue operations involved coast guard and navy ships, an air force Black Hawk helicopter, a surveillance aircraft, and local fishing boats, all working through the night to locate survivors.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman confirmed that dozens of rescued passengers were taken to Isabela City, the provincial capital, where emergency teams were on standby.
“I received 37 survivors at the pier. Unfortunately, two were already dead,” the governor said.
Authorities said the exact cause of the sinking remains unclear. Commander Dua noted that the ferry had passed safety inspections before departure and showed no signs of overloading. A full investigation has been ordered.
Maritime accidents remain a recurring concern in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, where sea travel is common. Poor vessel maintenance, overcrowding, and weak enforcement of safety regulations—particularly in remote regions—have contributed to past disasters.
The country’s deadliest maritime tragedy occurred in December 1987, when the ferry Doña Paz collided with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people, marking the world’s worst peacetime sea disaster.
Rescue teams continue to search for possible missing passengers as families await further updates
AP.
