(Vatican Radio) Two people are reported dead and several are missing, after a passenger
ferry in the Philippines’ waters sank on Friday. Rescuers managed to save most of
the passengers and crew.
The ferry sank in the early hours, about 20 km from
the port of Pio Duran.
It had been taking passengers on a regular route between
islands in the central Philippines, and had about 60 people aboard at the time. The
full figure is unclear because one official said the operator's passenger list was
incomplete.
Vessels from the Philippines coast guard and navy searched for
survivors, aided by local fishermen.
One coordinator said the survival rate
was high because rescue crews had responded quickly. He added that the passengers
may have had had time to put on life jackets.
The ferry's captain was among
those rescued. He reported the weather as having been calm, and as rescuers continued
to hunt for further survivors it was unclear if they had determined the cause.
Analysts
say the Philippines has had a sometimes poor maritime safety record because of shoddy
ship maintenance and authorities failing to enforce safety regulations.
The
Philippines was the site of the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster in 1987,
when the ferry Donna Paz collided with a tanker, killing more than 4,000 people.