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Philippine Ferry Sinks; Five Dead, 63 Still Missing

somtam2000

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mahout
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Grim note to sign off on, but it's been a pretty grim weekend overall, so why not.

Bloomberg are reporting that Five people were confirmed dead and most of the more than 900 passengers and crew aboard a ferry that sank off the southern Philippines had been rescued, while 63 were still missing, the coast guard said.

The story goes on to say that the ferry sank in the "vicinity of the Zamboanga Peninsula while bound for the central province of Iloilo from General Santos City in the south."

Weather was calm and the story gives no information as to why the boat sank.

#1 Posted: 6/9/2009 - 20:51

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mahout
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I posted a link about this superferry being in trouble last night in another thread on the Philippines branch... just clicked on the link that I'd posted and I see Al Jazeera have updated the story. Here's the link again.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/09/20099523541341679.html

#2 Posted: 6/9/2009 - 21:30
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The initial reports said that Superferry 9 was listing and that the 900+ passengers had been ordered to abandon ship. Latest photos taken from the air show that the ferry hasn't yet sunk and there are reports of a hole in the hull. Nine people are reported to have died and there are still two people missing according to officials.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/09/20099703615232674.html

It's amazing so few people died. Al Jazeera mentions a similar incident last year where over 800 people lost their lives and the Philippines holds the record for the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster ... more than 4,341 people lost their lives when the Dona Paz sank in 1987.

Sea disasters are also common in Indonesia. A couple of boats have sunk there just in the last month.

A ferry licensed to carry 45 passengers but which had at least 132 passengers on board sank on a river in Kalimantan ... 19 people dead with an estimated 20 still missing according to the last news reports at the end of August.

Just before that a small ferry capsized off Bali, leaving nine people dead and three missing.

#3 Posted: 7/9/2009 - 15:05
furneburner

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i was considering catching to superferry from Manila to Coron in January...

I think i might fly now instead....

actually i think it works out cheaper!

#4 Posted: 7/9/2009 - 17:18