Philippines Ferry Tragedy Leaves Fifteen Dead, Twenty-Eight Missing
The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, carrying more than 300 passengers, was traveling toward Jolo Island in Sulu province when disaster struck, according to a local English-language newspaper.
Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) officials confirmed that 316 individuals have been pulled to safety, while emergency teams supported by navy vessels and helicopter units continue intensive search and rescue efforts in the area.
The doomed ferry transmitted an emergency distress call at approximately 1:50 a.m. local time (1750GMT Sunday)—four hours after departing from the Port of Zamboanga City located on Mindanao's southwestern coast.
Preliminary reports indicate the vessel was transporting over 330 passengers alongside 27 crew members when it disappeared beneath the surface near Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan.
Coast guard video footage captured the dramatic rescue operation, showing survivors being extracted from the water and receiving immediate medical care. Desperate voices could be heard crying out for assistance in the darkness.
Maritime authorities have launched a formal casualty investigation to identify what triggered the accident.
Officials report no oil contamination has been detected from the submerged vessel.
The archipelago nation, comprised of 7,000 islands, has endured a troubling pattern of fatal ferry incidents attributed to inadequately maintained watercraft and insufficient maritime safety oversight.
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