Philippine rescue divers said they found many bodies Tuesday inside the ferry that sank with more than 850 people on board, confirming the worst fears of desperate relatives. Anxious and angry family members had been clinging to hope their loved ones might still be found alive inside the doomed Princess of the Stars, which capsized and sank Saturday when it got caught in the path of a typhoon.
But with blame flying over how the 24,000-tonne ferry was allowed to set sail with the storm looming, shaken rescue divers said they had discovered the worst when they finally worked their way into the submerged ship Tuesday. Philippine civil defence chief Anthony Golez said 57 people had survived the sinking, one of the worst maritime disasters in the country's history -- some of whom made it onto lifeboats in. But many passengers reportedly had little time to react when the vessel, trapped when Typhoon Fengshen suddenly changed path, began tilting and then quickly capsized off the central island of Sibuyan. It reportedly developed engine trouble while trying to make it to safety.There have been reports from local officials of dozens of survivors being found in nearby islands, but coast guard officials said they had yet to confirm those accounts. Rescue effort has been made even more difficult due to the bad weathers. The tip of the overturned hull is all that remains above water after the tragedy, which was the fourth disaster for the ferry company, Sulpicio Lines, since 1987 -- including a crash that year which left around 4,000 dead. The government slapped an immediate ban on Sulpicio's vessels from leaving port on Monday but it was still selling tickets on Monday despite the ban. [End of report]
It's a sad news to hear. More than 850 people on board but so far, only a few had survived. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard the news was why did the ferry was allowed to sail when they probably knew that a typhoon was coming or might be coming at their direction. And not to mention, this was the fourth disaster for the ferry company, I mean something is seriously wrong with them. When I heard that it was still selling tickets despite the ban imposed on the vessels, I think it is absolutely outrageous. You have a situation here where a lot of people still missing and their friends and families are worried about whether anyone they know of had survived the tragedy, but you are still selling the tickets. That is just not right. I hope that the Philippine authorites will investigate this matter thoroughly and punish those who are responsible for the tragedy. Clearly, someone has to take responsibility for the disaster. I'm sure the ferry company, in fact all ferry companies in the affected area were informed of the typhoon and if the ferry company had decided to go against the warning despite knowing the news, then they should be punish. Other possible reason that have been suggested for the tragedy is the fact that it is a very old ferry. It was a 20-year-old ferry. It is being reported that the ferry developed engine trouble while trying to make it to safety. But I think even if the ferry is new, it won't be able to survive the typhoon. While investigations on the matter is important, I think finding anymore survivors should be the priority now but the situation doesn't look good at the moment.
As each day goes by without any news of more survivors, there is not much hope that the ferry victims who have yet to be found will survive. There are reports that are saying that there may be more survivors to be found in the nearby small islands. I hope that is true but I think friends and families affected by the tragedy should be prepared for the worst. The latest number of survivors and death, according to Sulpicio Lines, is recorded as 59 survivors and 15 dead after names were checked against the ferry's manifest.
*The report was taken from AFP.
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