Philippines rescuers may bore hole in ferry
By PAUL ALEXANDER, Associated Press Writer


MANILA, Philippines - Roiling seas stalled efforts to get inside a ferry capsized by a deadly typhoon in the Philippines and officials considered boring a hole into the vessel's hull to look for survivors among hundreds of missing passengers and crew, an official said Monday.

Strong waves that have largely kept a small flotilla of rescue ships at bay continued to pound the area Monday, leaving officials to plan the best way to get inside — either with divers from below or by a hole that would be drilled in the hull, Tamayo said.

A group of 28 ferry passengers and crew washed ashore after drifting at sea for more than a day from the site where their ship was capsized and left most of the hundreds aboard missing and presumed dead, officials said.

Manila's DZBB radio said the survivors, 20 male passengers, four women and four crewmen, drifted at sea for more than 24 hours wearing their lifejackets, reaching Mulanay township in eastern Quezon province late Sunday.

Coast guard chief Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo announced early Monday that they had been found, raising the total number of survivors to 38. All were discovered after making it to land.

Tamayo said rescuers may have to bore a hole in the ship to allow divers access to an area where many aboard the ferry were believed to have been trapped. But rescue workers would have to operate carefully because the ferry also was carrying a cargo of bunker oil that could leak out.

Coast guard frogmen who managed to get to the stricken ship got no response when they rapped on the hull with metal instruments, then had to give up late Sunday due to the strong waves. The ship carried more than 740 passengers and crew.

"We're not ruling out that somebody there is still alive," Tamayo said. "You can never tell."

Strong waves continued to pound the area Monday. A U.S. Navy ship carrying search-and-rescue helicopters was expected to arrive from Okinawa late Monday, and a P-3 maritime surveillance plane also was being dispatched.

Rescuers hoped to get inside the ship with U.S. assistance requested by the Philippine Red Cross. Typhoon Fengshen has killed at least 163 people across the sprawling archipelago, setting off landslides and floods, and knocking out electricity.

Six bodies, including those of a man and woman who had bound themselves together, have washed ashore, along with children's slippers and life jackets.

The coast guard said it was checking a survivor's report that at least one group of people — some dead, some alive — had been spotted bobbing in the sea.

About two dozen relatives went to the Manila office of ferry owner Sulpicio Lines. Some wept as they waited for news.

"I'm very worried. I need to know what happened to my family," said Felino Farionin, his voice cracking. His wife, son and four in-laws were on the ferry, which was going from Manila to Cebu.

Some relatives were angry that the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip with a typhoon approaching. The government ordered Sulpicio Lines to ground its other vessels pending an investigation into the accident and a check of the other ships' seaworthiness.

Sulpicio Lines said the ship sailed with coast guard approval. The company said it will give about $4,500 in compensation to relatives of each fatality, along with financial assistance to the survivors.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo talked to officials in a teleconference aired live on nationwide radio Sunday, scolding coast guard officials for allowing the ferry to leave Manila despite the bad weather.

Reynato Lanoria, a janitor on the ship, estimated about 100 people could have survived, "but the others were trapped inside."

"I think they are all dead by now," he told DZMM radio after making it to shore by jumping in the water and reaching a life raft.

Lanoria said he was on the top deck when a crew member ordered people to put on life vests around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. About 30 minutes later, the ship began tilting so fast that elderly people and children fell on the rain-slicked deck.

The ferry initially ran aground a few miles off central Sibuyan island Saturday, then capsized, said Mayor Nanette Tansingco of Sibuyan's San Fernando. With the upturned ferry visible from her town, she appealed for food, medicine and embalming fluid.

The nearly 24,000-ton ferry — with 626 passengers and 121 crew members on board — was "dead in the water" after its engine failed around noon Saturday, Tamayo said.

The storm stymied attempts to reach the ship and kept aircraft at bay on Saturday before shifting course Sunday to the northwest and battered Manila at dawn. Major streets were flooded, and numerous traffic lights were out.

In the central province of Iloilo, Gov. Neil Tupaz said 59 people drowned, with another 40 missing. "Almost all the towns are covered by water. It's like an ocean," Tupaz said.


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_on_...ippines_typhoon

this is a very sad news

Such a saddening news.

It really breaks my heart honestly every time I am hearing such news like this, it is really sad....

Why did the ferry captain take the ship into sea with a typhoon coming?
Hope they find more survivors.

Apparently, they are blaming Coast Guard for giving them a go... Oh dear... some people should be fired for not doing their job correctly and righteously.

only 4500.00 dollars for compensation what a laugh it should be alot more then that. so to the ferry lines your life is only worth peanuts. this is very sad when i read this today.phillipines need attorney like usa that will go after all what the families deserve
MILLIONS
this is the second time this ferry line has had problems they need to be out of bussiness
or the next time it could be me or you or our loved ones !!!!!
how many people have to die before something is done ????

This is so horrible! My friend is looking for her dad now. He went to Manila last thursday and she has not heard from them. She said he was on his way to a town where the ferry was going. She has no idea if he was on the ferry or not, but she cannot get in contact with him. What should she do? Who can she call to get a list of passengers on that ferry? She woke up with a horrible feeling this morning she said, and when I saw her this morning I had a horrible feeling. then she just disappered from our job. I started to worry and text her and she told me what happened.

Anybody can help me get info for my friend?

Hi 'Marlita', Here is a site that has the passengers list.. http://www.pr-inside.com/list-of-passenger...r-s-r658136.htm ....I hope this will help your friend or others. God bless.

Thanks for that info. I also found this site at sulpiciolines
My friend looked him up and he was not on there...praise God. He is stil mia so we are still looking.