25 dead after boats capsize in Philippines

The death toll from the sinking of three ferry boats off the coast of central Philippine provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras yesterday rose to 25, the police said on Sunday.

Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan of Iloilo police said in a report that as of 12:00 p.m. (local time), 25 bodies have been recovered while six remain missing, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that search is continuing to find the missing people after three ferry boats with a total of 86 passengers and 13 crew members capsized and sank within three hours during a storm on Saturday while the boats were travelling in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait.

All boats were buffeted by strong winds and big waves triggered by monsoon rains that affected the main Luzon island and Western Visayas region, it added.

All three vessels were on a short journey between the port city of Iloilo and the island of Guimaras, with two of the accidents happening at almost the same time, forcing the coastguard to temporarily shut down ferry services on Saturday.

Services resumed in the afternoon, which was when the third boat capsized, the coastguard was quoted as saying.

Philippine Red Cross posted pictures of two of the vessels on social media, showing one turned upside down as rescuers swam nearby, while the other was almost completely sunk with just the bow above water.

The Philippines, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, is battered by typhoons and storms regularly, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.