Lucena Ferry Tragedy: Search winds down as death toll hits 44

Search operations were likely to wrap up yesterday in the sunken passenger ferry MV Maria Carmela as the death toll from a fire six days earlier rose to at least 44.

Officials said another four people were still listed as missing on the Carmela, which caught fire Thursday near the end of an overnight trip from Masbate to Lucena City.

Eleven divers, including one from the Japanese coast guard, have been going through the wreckage since Sunday, when the still-smoldering ferry sunk.

They have found 18 burned bodies in addition to 26 fatalities reported earlier.

At least 330 passengers were on board.

In Batangas, the Coast Guard has blamed Lucena firemen for the sinking of the Carmela and the failure of investigators to gather enough evidence to determine the cause of the fire.

Deputy Commander Avelino Fortuna of the 5th Coast Guard District told The STAR yesterday the firemen’s continuous spraying of water caused the Carmela to be flooded and eventually sink.

"The (Bureau of Fire Protection) offered their services last week in extinguishing the intermittent fire but I think they did not anticipate it would flood the vessel.," he said.

If the firemen had not flooded the ferry, it would have been easier for investigators to gather evidence, he added.

Maj. Nelson Albuena of the Lucena City fire department was unavailable for comment on the allegations of the Coast Guard.

Ensign Raul Belesario, officer-in-charge of Coast Guard divers, said they have recommended termination of the diving operation.

"I think today would be the final search because it is already negative," he said. "We have searched every part of the ship and we cannot find anything more. If my commanding officer tells us to continue the search, we will do it for the sake of the families of the victims."

Sources said Montenegro Shipping Lines, owners of the Carmela, has supplied Lucena City firefighters upon their request with eight pails of dry chemical to put out the fire.

Firemen, who asked for anonymity, told The STAR, three firetrucks operating simultaneously aboard another ship would have taken only 90 minutes or one hour and two minutes to consume the eight pails of chemicals.

"If they have only eight pails of chemicals and assuming that a firetruck with 11,000 liters of water can only be emptied in about 10 minutes," the firemen said.

The Coast Guard said the firemen led by Inspector Jose Imbang Jr. started fighting the fire from the MV Sophia of Montenegro Shipping at around 1 a.m. Sunday and stopped for two hours to resupply their tanks with water.

At around 12:55 p.m. the Carmela tilted to the right and sank, the Coast Guard added.

The Coast Guard denied reports that the Carmela was deliberately sunk to mislead investigators and conceal evidence from the ship’s owners.

Lawyer Zeus Librija, Montenegro counsel, said over radio station dzBB yesterday the Carmela could have sunk because the firemen failed to clear the ship of water.

The cause of the fire, which was believed to have started on a lower level for vehicles and cargo, has been determined.

Investigators said they expected to question the crew today. — Arnell Ozaeta