Philippines Typhoon Capsizes Ferry, Over 800 Missing and Feared Dead (The Princess of the Stars)
A typhoon in the Philippines has capsized a ferry where 700 people are missing and feared dead. To date, 28 survivors have been rescued; however, hundreds are still missing. The Princess of the Stars ferry left Manila on Friday en route to Cebu when contact was lost.
820 missing as ferry capsizes in typhoon
- Ferry leaves Manila on Friday
- 626 passengers and 121 crew on board
- Engines failed Saturday afternoon
- Radio contact lost soon afterwards
- Rescuers reach ship on Sunday afternoon
The ferry was en route to Cebu from Manila when it capsized on Saturday
Coast guard chief Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said 28 survivors of the ferry disaster had been found. Manila’s DZBB radio said the survivors, including four crewmen and three women, drifted at sea for more than 24 hours wearing their life jackets, reaching Mulanay township in eastern Quezon province late Sunday.
Coast guard frogmen who managed to get to the stricken ship got no response when they rapped on the hull with metal instruments, then had to give up late Sunday due to the strong waves. The ship carried more than 740 passengers and crew.
Update I: 800 missing as typhoon Philippines ferry … 32 survivors recovered.
The recovery brought to 32 the number of survivors recovered from the sinking of the Princess of the Stars Saturday off the coast of Sibuyan Island in the central Philippines.
On Sunday, four survivors were found in San Fernando town on Sibuyuan island.
The 24,000-tonne ferry sank after running aground due to huge waves and strong winds spawned by Typhoon Fengshen, which left at least 152 people dead.
Scores drowned and missing as typhoon lashes Philippines
UPDATE II: Divers retrieve bodies from Philippine ferry
While the divers have only found bodies so far, officials were not willing to give up hope of finding more survivors among the more than 800 people missing since the seven-story ferry listed and went down in a half-hour or less Saturday.
“There is a slim chance that we can still find survivors” insided the ferry, coast guard Lt. Cmdr Rogelio Villanueva said. “As the days pass, indeed the chance is getting slimmer.”