Over 700 missing as ship capsizes

More than 700 passengers and crew are missing while three survivors were found and four fatalities were recovered after a ferry capsized last Saturday off Sibuyan Island in Romblon at the height of Typhoon “Frank,” officials reported yesterday.

Authorities confirmed at least six people were found dead and three survivors were rescued from the more than 700 crew and passengers of Sulpicio Lines’ MV Princess of the Stars.

Philippine Coast Guard Central-Eastern Visayas District chief of staff Commander Antonio Cuasito told The Freeman yesterday that the ship has already been found some 1.5 nautical miles from the seashore of sitio Cabitangahan, barangay Taclobo at the town of San Fernando in Sibuyan Island.

Cuasito said reports relayed by the personnel of BRP Batangas, which was sent to the site from Cebu City, described that the bow of the 23-thousand gross ton ship was already submerged and only part of the aft was visible.

Coastguard vessels sent to the area are now scouring the nearby islands and the site to find survivors.

Cuasito said divers maybe sent to verify if there are still people trapped inside.

Among those recovered were the bodies of a man and a woman, who they believe might be a couple as their hands were tied together as if they did not want to be separated.

The bodies of three females were also found at barangays España and Mabini of San Fernando town.

The survivors were already taken to the local hospital in the area, coastguard officials said.

The residents of the nearby island are also helping in the search and rescue efforts.

Cuasito added that Superferry 5, which passed the vicinity of Balbagon Island, near Sibuyan, reported to have spotted floating life rafts. The PCG is now verifying the ship arriving in the port of Estancia, Iloilo if they have picked up survivors.

Another ship, FB Tablas passing in the area was also reported to have picked some people in the area.

There has been information reaching the coastguard that some survivors were found at Cresta de Gallo Island not far from the scene.

The ship left Pier 12 in Manila last Friday past 8 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at 5 p.m. last Saturday in Cebu City during the height of the storm Frank.

Sulpicio Lines port captain, Nestor Ponteres told The Freeman that the vessel’s captain Florencio Marimon, Sr. have called him through the cellphone informing him that the ship is listing to port and he was preparing to order abandoning the ship.

“Most probably ni-order gyud to ang kapitan to abandon the ship, unya giariya ang tanang life rafts,” Ponteres said.

Ponteres added that the ship had enough number of life rafts, life jackets and other rescue and safety equipment for the 747 people onboard including that for the officers and crew.

The ship has capacity of 1,992 passengers.

He however could not yet give details on how it happened because the captain has yet to be found.

Initial reports have it that the vessel’s experienced engine failure and seawaters rushed in.

Relatives

Yesterday, hundreds of relatives of the ships’ passengers trooped to the Sulpicio Lines office to ask for information.

Some of them even lost their cool as they wanted to know the latest news.

Among them was Terese Alipin Hiyas, 40, of barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City whose parents Rogelio and Petra Alipin were on board the said vessel.

Hiyas said she received a text message from her parents last Saturday morning asking for prayers as their ship was about to be hit by a storm along its journey.

Hiyas said that she called the PCG-Manila to call the ship back to port, but the officer who answered in the phone, just told her that everything is fine, prompting her to call the shipping lines hotline but the person who reportedly answered assured her that everything is fine and the ship will arrive on time in Cebu around 5 p.m Saturday.

A man whose son works as a messman onboard the said ship also asked for clear information and updates of those rescued and dead.

“Prangka lang gud unta ba, nga mao ni mga tawhana ang naluwas mao ni ang patay aron mahibaw-an nato di nalang tago-tagoan,” the angry father said.

Atty. Manuel Espina, the legal counsel of Sulpicio Lines, said they have received a lot of information of survivors and retrieval of bodies from various sources in the area including reports coming out from the media but considered these as unconfirmed until the PCG says so.

Espina said the company will only release verified and credible information to the public pertaining to the fate of the passengers — they may be bad new or good news.

“We’ll give the verified information as long as we get it from the Philippine Coast Guard before we release it. We will give only the accurate information regardless how bad it is, as long as it is accurate,” Espina said.