Ongoing search: Coastguards continuing the rescue operations around the capsized boat in Binangonan, Rizal province. — Reuters
A small Philippine ferry turned upside down when passengers suddenly crowded to one side in panic as fierce winds pummelled the wooden vessel, leaving at least 26 people dead while 40 others were rescued, officials said.
Coastguard and police said yesterday that search and rescue efforts had resumed after a pause on Thursday night.
Officials said it remained unclear how many people were aboard the M/B Princess Aya, which capsized on Thursday in Laguna de Bay in Rizal province east of Manila.
When people rushed to one side of the vessel amid severe winds, the boat tilted and its outrigger broke, then the boat capsized shortly after leaving a wharf in the town of Binangonan for nearby Talim island, police and the coastguard said.
The accident happened only about 46m from shore, officials said at a news conference.
The Rizal provincial police said that they immediately launched a rescue operation with the help of the coastguard and other local authorities, but that at least 26 people drowned. Forty others were saved.
“This is really a tragic event that has to be investigated,” coastguard Rear Adm Hostillo Arturo Cornelio told reporters.
The ferry was supposed to carry a maximum of 42 passengers and crew members but was overloaded, Cornelio said.
He said investigators would also look into reports that the passengers were not wearing life vests as required by safety regulations.
Asked how many people were on the boat, Cornelio said it was unclear if there were more than the 66 who died or were save.
“We assume there could be more,” he said.
The search was continuing yesterday.
A video released by the coastguard showed rescuers on a local government boat pulling a body out of the lake.
Another video showed local fishermen aboard vessels approaching the overturned boat.
Typhoon Doksuri blew away on Thursday after battering the northern Philippines and whipping up seasonal monsoon rains in a large swathe of the archipelago.
Sea travel was suspended in many ports during Doksuri’s onslaught from Tuesday to Wednesday. — AP
