Philippine Divers Release Video of Search for Remains Inside Lost Ferry

PCG servicemembers recover another body from the water at the wreck site, February 21 (PCG)

The Philippine Coast Guard's salvage divers continue to conduct dangerous and difficult search-and-recovery work at the wreck site of the Trisha Kerstin 3, the ferry that capsized and sank off Basilan in late January. The confirmed death toll from the sinking has risen to 65, and Philippine leaders have demanded accountability - even prosecution - for those responsible for the vessel's final voyage.

Over the weekend, divers recovered another body from the wreck - the remains of crewmember Rodolfo Cabilan Jr., a resident of Bohol. Cabilan was found in the interior of the vessel, on the car deck, the PCG said. The victim's father, Rodolfo Cabilan Sr., confirmed the deceased's identity by his belongings, according to Bohol Monitor. (As the weeks have passed since the sinking, deterioration has made identification of victims and disposition of their remains more challenging.)

Initial estimates of the number of personnel on board turned out to be flawed, as the passenger manifest contained inaccuracies. After consolidation and tallying of all available information, the PCG and its interagency partners believe that there were 293 survivors, 65 known victims, and 14 people who remain unaccounted for. Relatives and survivors claim that there may be even more missing.

The PCG has pledged to continue the search effort through all compartments. Video footage released by the agency's technical diving group shows the difficult, dangerous, and eerie conditions at the site. The rescue divers are tasked with entering and searching passenger berthing compartments filled with debris, with just a few feet between the tops of bunks and the overhead - a risky location to enter while burdened by bulky gas tanks and restricted by a limited supply of air.

The investigation into the loss of the ferry is well under way, and more than a dozen public officials have been dismissed from their posts for allowing the operator to continue running vessels in allegedly unseaworthy condition. Last week, Philippine Sen. Raffy Tulfo asserted that operator Aleson Shipping Lines and the crew of the Trisha Kerstin 3 should face murder charges for setting sail on the casualty voyage. Survivors have claimed that some of the life vest storage compartments were locked, and many survived by clinging to improvised floatation - even potato chip bags, in one well-publicized story. Some survivors claim that the vessel was already operating with a list at the time of its departure, and was overloaded; initial indications appear to confirm that the ship was carrying more than its rated capacity, according to senior investigators with regulator MARINA.