L
LequteMan
Guest
A 40-year-old ferry ship, the MV Thomas Aquinas collided with a cargo ship while sailing into the port at Cebu, Philippines late yesterday. At least 26 people have died and more than 200 are still missing. The ship was carrying 752 passengers and 118 crew, according to latest coast guard figures. The incident happened about 2km from the shore.
According to witnesses, the impact was very strong and many of the passengers were asleep and others struggled to find their way in the dark. Hundreds of passengers jumped into the ocean as the ferry began taking on water. Life jackets were distributed by the crew. Some people were not able to get out too.
The ferry sank within 30 minutes of the collision.
Rear Admiral Luis Tuason of the coast guard said at least four more bodies were recovered from the wreck early this morning.
"There could be more bodies there but there were ropes inside that our divers could get entangled in," he said.
The coast guard is to send more divers with deep-water equipment to help recover bodies, he added.
It’s too early to know the cause of the collision.
The cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7, had 36 crew members on board, but it did not sink.
According to witnesses, the impact was very strong and many of the passengers were asleep and others struggled to find their way in the dark. Hundreds of passengers jumped into the ocean as the ferry began taking on water. Life jackets were distributed by the crew. Some people were not able to get out too.
The ferry sank within 30 minutes of the collision.
Rear Admiral Luis Tuason of the coast guard said at least four more bodies were recovered from the wreck early this morning.
"There could be more bodies there but there were ropes inside that our divers could get entangled in," he said.
The coast guard is to send more divers with deep-water equipment to help recover bodies, he added.
It’s too early to know the cause of the collision.
The cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7, had 36 crew members on board, but it did not sink.
