A ferry carrying 342 passengers sank Monday morning in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 15 dead, the Philippine Coast Guard said
In an interview with dzBB, the PCG said at least 43 remain missing from the ill-fated M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.
According to Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman, over 200 passengers had so far been rescued.
“The challenge here really is the number of patients that are coming in. We are short-staffed at the moment,” Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez said, adding that at least 18 people had been brought to one local hospital.
“The ferry was sailing from Zamboanga City to Jolo island when the incident happened,” she said.
The PCG said it was “actively coordinating” to assist its station in southern Mindanao with search and rescue operations.
The archipelago nation of 116 million has a long history of disasters involving ferries between its islands.
In 2023, more than 30 people were killed when a fire ripped through a ferry in the southern Philippines.
