Philippines Ferry Disaster Death Toll Surpasses Fifty
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced the grim update after technical dive teams continued operations at the underwater wreck site, where the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 lies submerged off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province.
"As of this morning, the PCG recorded 52 fatalities and 316 survivors in connection with the sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3," the maritime agency stated via Facebook.
The vessel was transporting passengers to Jolo Island in Sulu province when disaster struck in the early morning hours of January 25. Emergency transmissions were broadcast at approximately 1:50 a.m. local time (1750 GMT)—roughly four hours after the ferry departed from the Port of Zamboanga City on Mindanao's southwestern coast.
Authorities have not disclosed how many passengers remain unaccounted for as technical divers persist in their underwater search operations.
The tragedy underscores persistent maritime safety challenges across the archipelago nation of approximately 7,000 islands, where inadequate vessel regulation and chronic overcrowding have contributed to a deadly history of ferry accidents.
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