Philippine rescuers struggled in rough seas Sunday as they resumed a bleak search for 85 people missing in the country’s latest ferry disaster, but insisted miracle survivor stories were possible.
Thirty-four people have been confirmed killed after the ferry, carrying more than 800 passengers and crew, sank almost instantly on Friday night following a collision with a cargo vessel outside a major port in the central city of Cebu.
Stormy weather forced an early suspension of search and rescue operations with a few hours of daylight remaining on Saturday, and similar conditions hampered the effort when rescuers returned to the waters at dawn on Sunday morning.
Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic said the weather had prevented divers from reaching the interior of the sunken vessel, where many of those missing were believed trapped, but rescuers would make every effort to get there.
“It is possible that there are air pockets in its compartments and there might be survivors,” Fabic told AFP, adding people could survive for 72 hours in such conditions.
“There is still hope that there might just be survivors there.”