Death toll from Basilan ferry sinking now at 42
Government rescuers and local volunteers in Hadji Muhtamad and nearby towns of Basilan recovered two more bodies floating in the waters off the province on Monday.
The fatalities—a man and a woman—were passengers of MV Trisha Kerstin 3, Capt. Noemie Cayabyab, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson, said on Tuesday.
This brought to 42 the fatalities in the sinking of the Sulu-bound ferry on Jan. 26.
According to the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the female fatality was identified as Albelin Alibasa Nuluddin and the male as Alnesran Asamuddin, 28, from Upper San Raymundo of Jolo, Sulu.
The search and rescue operations for victims of the tragedy continued for over a week now with the ship captain still missing.
As of Tuesday, the PCG is still locating the sunken vessel.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez initially gave the PCG 15 days to conduct a full-blown investigation into the accident.
Cayabyab said they will give a statement on the cause of the incident after they have completed the probe.
Changed narrative?
Cayabyab added that the PCG is establishing all possible causes of the ferry’s sinking, including overloading of both passengers and cargo, mechanical failure, and possible negligence of the owner or of the authorities.
On Monday, during a press conference presided by Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso, authorities appeared to have changed their narrative about the boat’s passenger load.
The Zamboanga City local government said the boat sailed for Jolo on Sunday night with a total of 359 people on board; 332 passengers as listed in the manifest and 27 crew.
This directly refuted a statement from the PCG on Jan. 26 that the 15 people who were issued tickets and hence listed in the manifest were not able to board the vessel, making its passenger load as only 317, and total on board as 344.
The local government’s presentation also declared the number of missing persons as 30, based on the documented claims at the regional forensics laboratory of the Philippine National Police in Zamboanga City, although it acknowledged the PCG’s earlier declaration that there were 316 survivors.
Given that information, it appears that neither 359 nor 344 is the exact number of people on board.
With 316 survivors, 40 bodies were recovered as of Sunday, which was the basis for the presentation in Zamboanga City, and 30 declared missing, there should have been at least 386 people aboard the vessel when it left the Zamboanga City port.
This means the vessel was overloaded by 36 people, or 10 percent of its 350-passenger limit.
If indeed the 332 people listed in the manifest were able to board, this means that the boat carried 27 undocumented passengers. But if the PCG’s account was right that 15 were unable to board, it means there were 42 undocumented passengers on the boat.
These figures could increase if the 10 fatalities who were not listed in the manifest are factored in; total people on board will become 396, and undocumented passengers either 37 or 52.
