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Philippine vessels collide at sea | Philippine vessels collide at sea |
(10 minutes later) | |
At least 27 people are missing after a passenger ferry collided with a fishing boat in the Philippines, officials say. | At least 27 people are missing after a passenger ferry collided with a fishing boat in the Philippines, officials say. |
The wooden-hulled ferry and the fishing boat were between them carrying at least 73 people when they collided in Manila Bay in the early hours. | The wooden-hulled ferry and the fishing boat were between them carrying at least 73 people when they collided in Manila Bay in the early hours. |
Coastguard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo told local media 46 people had been rescued from the waters. | Coastguard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo told local media 46 people had been rescued from the waters. |
There were no reports of bad weather conditions in the area and the cause of the collision is not yet clear. | There were no reports of bad weather conditions in the area and the cause of the collision is not yet clear. |
It comes as thousands of people in the Philippines travel home for the Christmas period. | It comes as thousands of people in the Philippines travel home for the Christmas period. |
"These are small, wooden vessels," Mr Balilo was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. | "These are small, wooden vessels," Mr Balilo was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. |
Both of the vessels have sunk. | |
Mr Balilo said rescue teams had been dispatched and boats in the area had also been asked to help hunt for survivors, reported AFP. | |
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical weather, badly maintained passenger boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations. | Maritime accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical weather, badly maintained passenger boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations. |
In June 2008, hundreds of people were killed when a 23,000-tonne ferry - Princess of the Stars - capsized during a typhoon off the central island of Sibuyan. | |
In December 1987, more than 4,000 people died when the Dona Paz ferry collided with a tanker in the world's worst maritime disaster in peacetime. |