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88 missing after Philippine passenger ferry sinks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-06 15:27

MANILA: A huge passenger ferry carrying nearly 1000 people capsized in southern Philippines on Sunday, leaving at least three people dead and 88 others missing, the disaster relief authority said.

Gilbert Teodoro, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, told a press briefing that the Superferry 9, with 847 passengers and 112 crew members on board, had sunk Sunday morning, hours after the captain ordered abandon of the ship and requested emergency rescue.

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Teodoro said 88 people are still missing and the rescue team has recovered three bodies of  the drowned passengers.

Teodoro, also defense chief, said navy ships and helicopters have also participated in the rescue operation with the coast guard team at the wreck site off the Zamboanga peninsular coast.

Superferry 9 sailed out of the southern city General Santos Saturday night and is expected to reach the central city of Iloilo late Sunday. It requested rescue around 3:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT).

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The Philippine archipelago is prone to maritime tragedies. A ferry carrying 862 people on board sank in a typhoon in central Philippines last summer. More than 800 people were reported killed or missing in the accident.