FOUR people died while 7 passengers were still missing when a ferry with 251 people aboard capsized between Dinahican, Quezon and Polillo Island in bad weather, the Coast Guard said Thursday.
Some 240 passengers of the m/v Mercraft 3 bound for Polilio Island have already been rescued and accounted for, the Coast Guard said.
The vessel left Real port in northern Quezon at 10:30 a.m. Thursday but huge waves slammed the boat, causing it to capsize and sink in the waters off Dinahican at about 11 a.m., Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.
“We are still trying to get a complete report of the incident. We heard about casualties, but we are still trying to get a complete picture,” Balilo said.
The vessel has maximum capacity of 286 passengers and 251 passengers were onboard when the accident happened, Balilo said.
The Coast Guard has dispatched rescue teams from Southern Luzon to Real, Quezon, and has coordinated with the military to help in the search for survivors.
The Coast Guard also dispatched vessels from Manila to participate in the search and rescue operations, which were joined by local fishermen.
Balilo said the ferry left Real as the southern section of the archipelago braced for tropical storm “Vinta” (international name: “Tembin”), which is forecast to hit land early Friday.
The vessel was allowed to sail as there were no storm warnings at or around Real or Polillo, east of the main island of Luzon, he said.
The government has advised Filipinos planning to return to their home provinces for Christmas to do so earlier than usual to avoid heavy weather forecast to hit ahead of the holidays.
Coast Guard Stations in Zamboanga and Cagayan De Oro have temporarily suspended or cancelled trips of all types of vessels bound for General Santos, Northern Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon effective 6 a.m., Dec. 21, 2017, 2GO Travel said Thursday.
The company said trips would resume when the weather and sea conditions have improved and the suspension order is lifted. With AFP