A ferry carrying 342 people sank off Basilan province; at least eight are dead and 138 rescued as search operations continue.
BASILAN PROVINCE: A ferry carrying 342 passengers and crew sank in the southern Philippines on Monday morning, leaving at least eight people dead.
Arsina Laja Kahing-Nanoh, the mayor of a town in Basilan province, confirmed the eight fatalities in a Facebook post about the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.
Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez told AFP that at least 138 people have been rescued so far.
“The challenge here really is the number of patients that are coming in,” Perez said, noting local hospitals are currently short-staffed.
She added that 18 people had been taken to one local hospital for treatment.
The ferry was sailing from Zamboanga City to Jolo island when the incident occurred.
The Philippine Coast Guard stated it is actively coordinating with its station in southern Mindanao to assist in search and rescue operations.
The archipelago nation has a long history of maritime disasters involving inter-island ferries.
In 2023, more than 30 people were killed when a fire tore through a ferry in the same region.