Ferry with more than 800 aboard sinks after collision in Philippine port; at least 24 dead

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Ferry with more than 800 aboard sinks after collision in Philippine port; at least 24 dead

Earth Watch Report - Technological Disasters

.....

Ferry with more than 800 aboard sinks after collision in Philippine port; at least 24 dead

(Chester Baldicantos/ Associated Press ) - A Filipino trooper explains how he survived as their ship sank in Cebu, central Philippines late Friday Aug. 16, 2013. Passenger ferry MV Thomas Aquinas with nearly 700 people aboard sank near the central Philippine port of Cebu on Friday night after colliding with a cargo vessel, and a survivor said he saw bodies in the sea.

By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, August 16, 8:04 PM

MANILA, Philippines — A ferry with more than 800 people aboard sank near the central Philippine port of Cebu after colliding with a cargo vessel, killing at least 24 people. Hundreds of others were rescued, the coast guard said Saturday.

Dozens were still missing, but authorities could not give an official figure.

More than 200 are killed, the Muslim Brotherhood says, as both sides dug in for a long fight.

The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing

By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, August 16, 8:04 PM

More than 200 are killed, the Muslim Brotherhood says, as both sides dug in for a long fight.

The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing and then sank after the collision late Friday, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said.
Cebu coast guard chief, Cmdr. Weniel Azcuna, said 24 people, including children, were confirmed dead and 629 passengers had been rescued by early Saturday.
Speaking by telephone from Cebu, Azcuna said they were still searching the waters for survivors. He also said authorities were still trying to determine the actual number of people on board.
In a statement, ferry owner 2Go said the roll-on-roll-off ship had 723 passengers and 118 crew or a total of 841 people aboard and carried 104 20-foot (6-meter) steel containers.
It said the ferry “was reportedly hit” by the cargo vessel “resulting in major damage that led to its sinking.”
Azcuna said the coast guard was still focused on rescue off Cebu, 570 kilometers (350 miles) south of Manila, and will begin investigations later.
Navy divers told reporters at the scene of the collision, about 2 kilometers from the shore, that they saw several dead bodies still underwater.

Read More Here