By Xinhua,
Manila : The Philippine Coast Guard said Tuesday the situation of 115 people of the 862 on board of a capsized ferry have been known. Forty-eight survived and 67 have been killed.
Beside them, the conditions of the remaining passengers and crew are still unknown and are considered missing, said Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo in a press briefing.
On its way from Manila to Cebu, the 23,800-ton M/V Princess of the Stars sank off the Philippines’ central province of Romblon at the height of Typhoon Fengshen, which lashed the archipelago from east to west over the weekend.
There were 862 people on board, including “751 manifested passengers and 111 crew members”, according to the Sulpicio Lines company, owner of the ill-fated vessel.
Reports said divers have brought three bodies to the surface and spotted at least another 15 floating inside the capsized ferry as they managed to enter the vessel after several failed attempts.
The spokesman said authorities are still verifying the reports.
Earlier, Philippine Navy spokesman Edgard Arevalo said bodies were seen when Navy and Coast Guard divers entered the ship at 9 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Tuesday.
“Most of the bodies were floating inside. They were trapped when the ship suddenly tilted and capsized,” Arevalo said.