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| Philippines ferry disaster: At least 36 people dead after boat capsizes with 189 on board | Philippines ferry disaster: At least 36 people dead after boat capsizes with 189 on board |
| (6 months later) | |
| At least 36 people have died after a ferry capsized in the Philippines with 189 passengers and crew on board. | At least 36 people have died after a ferry capsized in the Philippines with 189 passengers and crew on board. |
| The boat was only half a mile from Ormoc port when the disaster happened in rough seas today. | The boat was only half a mile from Ormoc port when the disaster happened in rough seas today. |
| Seven rescue vessels were sent to pluck the survivors clinging to the overturned hull of the Kim Nirvana to safety but 26 people are missing. | |
| A spokesperson for the coastguard said 127 out of the 189 people on board were safe. | A spokesperson for the coastguard said 127 out of the 189 people on board were safe. |
| Some were hauled out of the water by nearby fishing boats and coastguard vessels, while others swam to dry land. | Some were hauled out of the water by nearby fishing boats and coastguard vessels, while others swam to dry land. |
| Shaken survivors told the Associated Press that the ferry was leaving Ormoc for the Camotes Islands when the bow suddenly rose out the water as passengers screamed. | Shaken survivors told the Associated Press that the ferry was leaving Ormoc for the Camotes Islands when the bow suddenly rose out the water as passengers screamed. |
| Mary Jane Drake said it had been pulling slowly out of the port when the boat suddenly flipped to the left and overturned, trapping her and other passengers. | Mary Jane Drake said it had been pulling slowly out of the port when the boat suddenly flipped to the left and overturned, trapping her and other passengers. |
| She, her mother and husband managed to swim to safety from underneath the ferry but others were not so lucky. | |
| “No one was able to jump out because it overturned very swiftly. There was no time to jump,” Mrs Drake said. | “No one was able to jump out because it overturned very swiftly. There was no time to jump,” Mrs Drake said. |
| Her husband Lawrence Drake, a 48-year-old retired firefighter from New York, said he ran to one side of the boat to try to balance it but it was too late. | Her husband Lawrence Drake, a 48-year-old retired firefighter from New York, said he ran to one side of the boat to try to balance it but it was too late. |
| “I jumped out of my seat and ran to the front as far as I could, and tried to lean over. I am a big guy, and tried to push the boat back over but it was way too late,” he added. | “I jumped out of my seat and ran to the front as far as I could, and tried to lean over. I am a big guy, and tried to push the boat back over but it was way too late,” he added. |
| Armand Balilo, a spokesperson for the coastguard, said search and rescue operations were hampered by the rough seas. | Armand Balilo, a spokesperson for the coastguard, said search and rescue operations were hampered by the rough seas. |
| "There was an occasional swell but the sea condition was manageable. Some motorised outriggers were able to sail," he told a local TV news channel. | "There was an occasional swell but the sea condition was manageable. Some motorised outriggers were able to sail," he told a local TV news channel. |
| "There was no gale warning and while there was a tropical depression, it was far from the area of the accident." | |
| The captain and some of the crew are in custody while authorities investigate possible causes of the accident, including human error and bad weather. | The captain and some of the crew are in custody while authorities investigate possible causes of the accident, including human error and bad weather. |
| The leader of Ormoc's rescue group, Ciriaco Tolibao, said divers are working with army frogmen scouring the hull of the overturned boat. | The leader of Ormoc's rescue group, Ciriaco Tolibao, said divers are working with army frogmen scouring the hull of the overturned boat. |
| "We are trying hopefully to find survivors or at least recover the bodies," he said. | "We are trying hopefully to find survivors or at least recover the bodies," he said. |
| Ferries are a common mode of transport between more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines, where hundreds of people die in boat accidents every year. | Ferries are a common mode of transport between more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines, where hundreds of people die in boat accidents every year. |
| Additional reporting by agencies | Additional reporting by agencies |