17 Dead After Ferry Collided With Cargo Ship Off Philippines

At least 17 people died while nearly 600
others were rescued after a ferry Collision of a ferry with a cargo ship in the
Philippines on Friday killed 17 people, while
nearly 600 others were rescued, authorities
said. The Thomas Aquinas ferry, which was
believed to be carrying about 700
passengers, sank quickly after colliding with
a freighter near the port of Cebu, the
country’s second biggest city, coastguard
spokesman Commander Armando Balilo said. A rescue mission involving coastguard, navy
and local boats was launched immediately
after the collision which occurred about
9pm (1300 GMT) around two kilometres
from shore. “The Aquinas has sunk and we have sent a
navy patrol gunboat to join the coastguard
in the search and rescue effort,” navy
spokesman Lieutenant Commander Gregory
Fabic told AFP. Within about three hours of the accident,
rescuers had saved 573 people but 17
people were confirmed killed, Joy Villages,
an official at the coastguard’s public affairs
office headquarters in Manila, told AFP. “Those rescued are with the coastguard and
with other vessels who helped in the
effort.” However she said it was still unclear how
many people were missing. There were 692 people on board, according
to the manifest, but ferries in the
Philippines are often overcrowded. “We are still checking the manifest as to
how many exactly are aboard,” Villages said. Rachel Capuno, a security officer for the
ferry’s owners, told Cebu radio station DYSS
that the ship was sailing into port when it
collided head-on with the cargo ship. “The impact was very strong,” she said,
adding that the ferry sank within 30
minutes of the collision. Cebu coastguard commander Weniel
Azcuna told reporters the accident occurred
about two kilometres from the Cebu port. He said the cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7,
had 36 crew members on board, but it did
not sink. Ferries are one of the main modes of
transport across the archipelago of more
than 7,100 islands, particularly for the
millions of people too poor to fly. But sea accidents are common, with poor
safety standards, lax enforcement and
overloading typically to blame.