Philippine ferry carrying over 350 people sinks, at least 18 dead
More than 350 were on board the inter-island ferry from Zamboanga to Jolo island when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank
The MV Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry, was sailing to southern Jolo island in Sulu province from the port city of Zamboanga with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank after midnight, coastguard officials said.
The ferry sank in good weather about a nautical mile from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province, where many of the survivors were initially taken, coastguard commander Romel Dua said.
“There was a coastguard safety officer on board and he was the first to call and alert us to deploy rescue vessels,” Dua said, adding that the safety officer survived.
One of the rescued passengers, Mohamad Khan, said that the ferry abruptly tilted to one side and took on water, hurling people, including him and his wife, who was holding their six-month-old baby, into the sea in the darkness. He and his wife were rescued, but their baby drowned.
“My wife lost hold of our baby, and all of us got separated at sea,” a distraught Khan told a volunteer rescuer, Gamar Alih, who posted a video of Khan’s remarks on social media.
As Khan narrated their ordeal, his wife wept.
Inter-island ferry sinks in the Philippines