Ferry sinks in Philippines; 24 dead, 629 rescued

MANILA -- 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, the coast guard said Saturday. Hundreds of others were rescued, officials said.

The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing and then sank after the collision late yesterday, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said.

Cebu coast guard chief Cmdr. Weniel Azcuna said 24 people, including children, were confirmed dead and that 629 passengers had been rescued by early Saturday. The youngest among those rescued was an 11-month-old, news reports said.

Azcuna said the coast guard was focused on rescue off Cebu, 350 miles south of Manila, and would begin investigations later.

Rear Adm. Luis Tuason Jr. said divers and helicopters were dispatched to help in the search for the missing, including infants.

He said the ferry sank within 10 minutes after the collision. "The vessel suffered a huge hole on its right side in the rear and as soon as the two ships separated, it took on water fast," he said.

In a statement, ferry owner 2Go said the roll-on-roll-off ship had 723 passengers and 118 crew aboard. It said the ferry "was reportedly hit" by the cargo vessel "resulting in major damage that led to its sinking."

The company said the ferry had an authorized capacity of 1,010 passengers.

Hundreds of passengers jumped into the ocean as the ship started to sink, according to survivors. Jerwin Agudong said he and other passengers jumped overboard in front of the cargo vessel after the ferry began taking on water and the crew distributed life jackets.

He told radio station DZBB that some people were trapped and that he saw bodies in the water. "It seems some were not able to get out. I pity the children. We saw dead bodies on the side, and some being rescued," he said.

In 1987, the ferry Doña Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the Philippines, killing more than 4,341 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.