Manila: At least 15 people were killed and 28 others reported missing after a ferry carrying more than 350 passengers sank in the southern Philippines, the Coast Guard said on Monday. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, with authorities confirming that more than 300 people have been rescued so far.
The ferry, identified as MV Trisha Kerstin 3, sent out a distress signal at around 1:50 a.m., more than four hours after departing from the Port of Zamboanga City at the southwestern tip of Mindanao.
Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua told news agency AFP that a Coast Guard aircraft had been dispatched to assist in rescue operations, while the Navy and the Air Force had also deployed their assets to the area.
The vessel sank approximately five kilometres east of Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province. Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez said rescue teams were struggling to cope with the large number of survivors. “The main challenge is the sheer number of people being brought in, and we are currently short-staffed,” she said, adding that at least 18 survivors had been transferred to a local hospital.
Commander Dua said the cause of the sinking remains unclear. However, the Coast Guard has launched a marine casualty investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident, noting in a statement that the ferry was not overloaded.
“At this point, our full focus is on rescue operations,” Dua said, adding that survivors were taken to Coast Guard stations in Zamboanga City and Isabela City.
Videos circulating on social media captured survivors shouting for help in the darkness following the incident.
The Philippines, an archipelagic nation with a population of around 116 million, relies heavily on inter-island ferries for transportation across its more than 7,000 islands. However, the sector has long been plagued by poor regulation and frequent accidents. In 2023, more than 30 people were killed when a fire broke out on a ferry in the southern Philippines.
