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Philippine vessels collide at sea | Philippine vessels collide at sea |
(about 5 hours 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. |
Rush to rescue | |
The passenger ferry was on its way to Lubang island southeast of Manila. | |
PREVIOUS DISASTERS Oct 1988 - Dona Marilyn ferry sinks off central island of Leyte; more than 250 deadDec 1994 - Singaporean freighter hits the ferry Cebu City in Manila Bay; about 140 deadSep 1998 - Princess of the Orient ferry sinks off Batangas City south of Manila; about 150 deadApr 2000 - cargo vessel Anahanda, overloaded with passengers, sinks off southern island of Jolo; about 100 deadFeb 2004 - Islamist militants bomb Superferry 14 near Manila Bay; 116 deadJune 2008 - Princess of the Stars capsizes in typhoon off central island of Sibuyan; hundreds dead | |
"This is a small vessel with a single wooden hull. Water rushed in and the vessel sank not long after the collision," coastguard Commodore Luis Tuazon told local radio. | |
The other vessel - a 369-tonne fishing boat named Nathalia - was damaged but was afloat, said coastguard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo. | |
It had been on an extended fishing trip in the Turtle islands in the southern Philippines and was returning to the Navotas port in northern Manila. | |
Earlier coastguard reports said both vessels had sunk and had put the number missing at 37. | |
"Some of those rescued are now aboard the Nathalia," Mr Balilo said. | |
He said three coastguard ships and a plane had been dispatched and at least eight other ships in the area had also been asked to help hunt for survivors, AFP news agency reported. | |
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. |
The world's worst maritime disaster in peacetime occurred in December 1987. More than 4,000 people died when the Dona Paz ferry collided with a tanker. | |
Despite frequent government promises to improve safety in a key transport lifeline, the accidents have continued. |