By Xinhua,
Manila : Philippine Vice President Noli de Castro on Tuesday bared that Philippine authorities are looking into reports that the captain of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars is alive and reportedly hiding to evade possible charges.
According to national television network GMA News, De Castro said he received information that ship captain Florencio Marimon Sr and another survivor are allegedly in the custody of Sulpicio Lines Inc., the owner of the ill-fated ferry.
The report said the two are being kept in a safe house.
“I tend to believe that this is a possibility. Past incidents have shown the captain would go missing shortly after a mishap. We’ll look into it,” De Catro said in the report.
The Coast Guard earlier said Marimon is the key to the investigation and is the best person to shed light on the incident.
A Board of Marine Inquiry is currently looking into the mishap, while President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has given a 15-day ultimatum to authorities to solve the case.
According to reports, Marimon was able to escape from the ship aboard a life raft. The two have not been heard from since.
High winds and heavy surf from Typhoon Frank capsized the ferryboat with 862 people on board. Only 56 survived and around seven hundred remain missing.
Philippine and U.S. rescue teams continue to search for more bodies inside the 23,800-ton ship.