Posted on 09/06/2009 1:51:28 AM PDT by Neil E. Wright
Zamboanga City, Philippines - Five people drowned and 63 were missing Sunday when a passenger ferry with 968 people aboard sunk in the southern Philippines, rescue officials said. The Superferry 9 sank hours after it listed to the right by 40 degrees off Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province, about 810 kilometres south of Manila. It was carrying 847 passengers, 117 crew and four sea marshals.
The Office of Civil Defence said the ship's listing was "allegedly due to a hole in its hull."
Commandant Real Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said 900 people were rescued by the coast guard, the navy, local fishing boats and two cargo ships of Aboitiz Transport Systems Corp, which owns the vessel.
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Prayers for the missing. My correspondent in the Philippines states that over 80 are missing and the death toll is rising.
These RORO ferries are almost the only ones that fail...
it is usually ramp failure or bow doors.
This is the first that I have heard of this, but I have been traveling all day. including by boat from Cebu to Dumaguete.
One should remember that travel by boat is necessary
here, and accidents will happen.
How sad. This is a real tragedy. It seems likely the number of dead will rise quite high.
Prayers for those people and their families.
Why couldn’t a rescue boat get to them in time? It seems as thought they were listing long enough for help to arrive.
Believe it or not, many Filipinos are not able to swim.
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