Only 32 Philippines ferry survivors found alive
Pastor Dale Morgan
Only 32 Philippines ferry survivors found alive*
MANILA (AFP) - - Twenty-eight passengers and crew of a ferry that sank
during a typhoon in the central Philippines have been found alive, local
radio station DZBB reported early Monday.
They were found in a coastal village southeast of Manila, it reported
from the scene.
The group of survivors landed their lifeboat near the town of Mulanay in
the Bondoc peninsula on Sunday, more than 24 hours after the Princess of
the Stars capsized off Sibuyan island, about 150 kilometres (94 miles)
to the south, the station said.
The coast guard said this raised the number of survivors to 32 with more
than 700 still missing and four confirmed dead. The rescue effort
resumed at daybreak Monday, the Philippine Navy said.
"We have the same report," coast guard spokesman Armando Balilo said
over DZMM radio here, confirming the discovery of the Mulanay survivors.
He gave no other details.
The ferry carrying 745 passengers and crew ran into the eye of Typhoon
Fengshen and sank around midday (0400 GMT) Saturday according to the
survivors.
DZBB quoted the survivors as saying 30 people were originally in the
lifeboat but two were lost at sea, including one man who was tossed
overboard by a huge wave minutes before they landed.
The station said most of the group were male, including nine crew
members of the 23,824-tonne vessel that sailed from the port of Manila
on Saturday for the central port of Cebu.
"The search and rescue effort resumed at first light today," navy
spokesman Eduardo Arevalo told DZBB.
A navy patrol craft reached the wreck site on Sunday afternoon but had
to suspend the search as night fell in rough waters after navy frogmen
inspected the half-submerged vessel without finding any signs of life.
Arevalo said a second rescue vessel was en route to the area bearing
more rescue divers as well as cutting equipment.
"If we can't find anyone on the water we will also have the capability
to go underwater," he said.
Search aircraft were also scheduled to join the search as the weather
improved, he said.
Fengshen roared out into the South China Sea late Sunday after leaving
more than 200 dead and large swathes of damage across the country.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Jesus Dureza told reporters President
Gloria Arroyo ordered maritime regulatory authorities to revise sailing
regulations for civilian maritime traffic during storms and typhoons.
The Princess of the Stars had been allowed to set sail on Saturday
despite the threat posed by the typhoon because under the rules it was
large enough to stay afloat under in the typhoon's periphery.
But Fengshen abruptly changed its northerly course on Saturday and raked
west across the central islands, heading directly into the ferry's path.
Arroyo, who is on an official visit to the United States, ordered the
coast guard to change its regulations so that "no vessel sails if it
would pass (a) possible typhoon path," Dureza said.