At Least 15 Dead, 28 Missing in Philippine Ferry Sinking

Survivors from the sinking come ashore (PCG)

On Monday morning, an interisland ferry sank off Basilan Province in the Philippines, killing at least 15 people and prompting a large-scale search and rescue response.

The ferry Trisha Kerstin 3 departed Zamboanga City on Sunday night with 332 passengers and 27 crewmembers aboard, headed for Jolo, Sulu. It is believed that the vessel was operating within rated capacity for cargo and passengers, and she passed the Philippine Coast Guard pre-departure safety check (a regulatory practice unique to the Philippines). The passengers included a Philippine Coast Guard sea marshal for security.

At about 0150 hours on Monday morning, the vessel went down at a position about three nautical miles to the northeast of Baluk-Baluk Island, part of the sprawling archipelago that extends southeastwards from the island of Mindanao. Conditions were calm at the time of the sinking, passengers reported.

The PCG received a distress call from the sea marshall aboard Trisha Kerstin 3, and quickly deployed the cutter BRP Tubbataha out of Zamboanga City, just 25 nautical miles away to the northeast. Local government responders and military assets also joined the search, aided by commercial vessels.

According to Basilan governor Mujiv Hataman, 317 people have been rescued alive so far. Search operations are still under way, and as of Monday there were 28 people missing, according to PCG spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab. The count is still early and subject to change. At least two dozen of the survivors were brought to a medical center in Basilan for treatment, the municipality of Isabela reported in a statement.

The cause of the sinking is not yet known, and the PCG says that a full marine casualty investigation will be launched once the rescue is completed.

The Philippines relies heavily on water transport to get from island to island, and a combination of high traffic volume and light regulation means that casualties occur regularly. A Philippine vessel, the Dona Paz, suffered the worst marine casualty ever recorded in peacetime: In late 1987, the heavily overcrowded ferry collided with a product tanker carrying 9,000 barrels of gasoline, resulting in a ferocious fire. An estimated 4,385 people died, though incomplete manifests mean that the true number may never be known.