By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
Two people have died and many more are thought missing after an over capacity ferry sank off the province of Leyte in the central Philippines, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
Capt. Joseph Coyme, Deputy District Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, said Sunday that although 103 people had been rescued from the MV Marhalika 2, the ferry was not supposed to have that many people on board.
A National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report said the ferry’s manifest showed only 84 people – 58 passengers, including two children, and 26 crewmembers – as well as 13 rolling cargoe, trucks and other vehicles.
Coyme said out of 103 survivors as of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, two were children, 79 were males and 22 females. Of the three injured, one is a female and the two others are males.
Four vessels are presently involved in rescue operations.
The MV Marhalika 2 left Lipata Port in Surigao City, Mindanao island at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, for Liloan in Southern Leyte - supposedly a four-hour voyage - before encountering large waves and a strong current
The NDRRMC report said that coast guard personnel in Lipata, Maasin and Liloan were immediately directed to assist and by 9:20 p.m., “passengers and crew had abandoned ship.”
According to maritime-connector.com, the MV Maharlika 2 was built in 1984.
www.aa.com.tr/en
