Pesticides Cargo in sunken Philippine ferry halt body search
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pesticides Cargo in sunken Philippine ferry halt body search*
Friday, June 27, 2008
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine officials suspended retrieval Friday of
hundreds of bodies believed trapped inside a sunken ferry due to fears
divers may be exposed to toxic chemicals in the cargo hold.
Vice President Noli de Castro told reporters that 22,000 pounds of the
pesticide endosulfan intended for pineapple plantations of Del Monte
Philippines went down with the ferry when it capsized in a typhoon last
Saturday in the central Philippines.
"Because this pesticide is dangerous, we have temporarily aborted the
retrieval operations at the ship," he said.
More than 100 divers, including eight U.S. servicemen, have joined the
search.
The pesticide does not dissolve easily in water and could be lethal to
humans, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said. He warned against eating
fish caught in the area until tests show they have not been contaminated.
It remained unclear how many of the 850-plus passengers and crew were
trapped when the 23,824-ton Princess of the Stars suddenly listed and
went belly up in a half-hour or less during the powerful typhoon,
leaving just the tip of the bow jutting from the water.
Only 56 survivors have been found, while 124 bodies have washed ashore
or been recovered at sea, coast guard Commander Danilo Avila said.
Typhoon Fengshen also left 505 people dead and 287 missing elsewhere in
the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.
Coast guard chief Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said a salvage company was
being consulted on possibly uprighting the seven-story ship to speed up
recovery work.
The pesticide was shipped in 400 55-pound boxes inside a steel
container, Transportation Secretary Maria Elena Bautista said. A team of
foreign divers with special chemical resistant suits will examine the
cargo and recommend how to haul it out of the ship, she said.
The government learned about the pesticide only after Del Monte informed
the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority about it, she said.