(map of Corregidor Satellite location)
http://www.malapascua.de/PhilippineMap/Manila/SatFoto_ManilaBay/hauptteil_satfoto_manilabay.html
Monday, 05 26, 2003
At least 28 persons drowned, 19 others were reported missing and 203 persons rescued after a ship collided with an inter-island vessel off the waters of Corregidor island around 11:45 a.m. yesterday, military rescuers reported.
The wooden-hulled m/v San Nicolas, supposedly carrying 198 passengers, was heading toward Manila from Coron, Palawan, when it reportedly slammed into the portside of Super Ferry 12, which was bound for Cebu from Manila, and sank in choppy waters near Limbones Point, off Cavite province and not far from Corregidor island.
Reports reaching the office of Navy Flag-Officer-in-Command Vice Adm. Ernesto de Leon disclosed that some 19 passengers and crew of m/v San Nicolas have yet to be accounted for as of 8 p.m.
The ship reportedly was carrying 198 passengers, most of whom had been rescued by responding naval personnel.
But Coast Guard chief Reuben Lista said about five of those missing were not included in the manifest of m/v San Nicolas.
Lista also said a massive search operation involving several commercial vessels and Navy cutters underway to retrieve as many of the missing as possible.
"We have three ships already at the area, LSV 550, BRP Cagayan de Oro and Patrol Boat 372. Another boat, DF 342, is on its way to the site," De Leon said in a telephone interview.
The Navy commander said m/v San Nicolas sank due to strong impact of the collision. "Our ships that were nearby immediately responded after receiving the information," he said.
De Leon added the Navy was able to immediately dispatch ships to the scene because they were busy preparing for anniversary of the Philippine Navy at nearby Ternate, Cavite, scheduled this Wednesday.
Lista held out hope for those still missing, but feared that large swells and bad weather could hamper rescue efforts.
"The area is very dangerous because there are areas in the coastline that are very rocky," he told reporters.
The Coast Guard has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident, with weather possibly playing a key role, Lista said.
"We have no information as to the cause of the collision. But there was a heavy downpour at the area, it (rains) might have caused poor visibility," De Leon said.
Lista said Super Ferry, which can carry more than 1,000 persons, did not sustain any significant damage and all its passengers were safe.
Gina Virtucio, a spokesman for the Super Ferry management, said "the boat collided with us, but our Super Ferry is helping in the rescue of the other vessel."
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who also heads the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said President Arroyo had been informed of the accident.
The President has ordered for a swift investigation into the accident and was expected to meet later Sunday with survivors and their families, Palace officials said.
"This should be a wake-up call for (ferry operators) to shape up and see to it that (their) crew are totally competent and alert," Reyes said, adding it was unimaginable that two ferries could hit one another in open sea.
Local television showed footages of orange rubber boats floating alongside Coast Guard patrol vessels near the anchored Super Ferry. Huge waves were battering the sides of the ferry amid windy weather.
Coast Guard rescuers said intermittent rain was hampering the search.
Inter-island ferries are a common mode of transportation in an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands.
But overcrowding and accidents are also common, with many ferry operators found to have neglected vital maritime regulations and safety features.
In 2002, the passenger ferry m/v Maria Carmela caught fire near the Port of Batangas killing 44 persons and in 2000 the m/v Anahanda sank off the coast of the southern island of Jolo, killing more than 100 passengers.
More than 4,000 were also killed in the world's worst peace-time maritime disaster when the m/v Doņa Paz collided with an oil tanker off central Mindoro island in 1987.
Mario J. Mallari with Reuters and AFP
