MikeLigalig.com

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Forty persons, including 11 children, are confirmed to have died when a ferry boat capsized off Masbate province early Tuesday afternoon, a police official said.

In a phone interview, Senior Superintendent Reuben Sindac, Masbate provincial police director, said the M/B Don Dexter Cathlyn was five kilometers from shore in Dimasalang town when a squall capsized it past 1 p.m.

As of posting time, Sindac said that of the 11 children, four were infants. Of the 29 adult dead, 25 were women.

Police have yet to identify the victims.

Sindac said the ferry, which was bound for Bulan town in Sorsogon, was barely 20 minutes into its voyage when the incident occurred.

Coast Guard and police rescue teams were able to recover the manifest of the ferry, which showed it had 119 passengers.

There was no mention of how large a crew the ferry had.

As of posting time, coast guard officials were able to rescue only 76 passengers.

Rescue operations for the missing passengers are continuing.(INQUIRER.net)

May the Lord show mercy to the survivors and the grieving families of those who perished. Basin overloading ang barko. Naa bay bagyo sa ato sa Phils karon?

wala man kuya.."freak" accident rajud to

it was reported that a squall or subasko or unos caused the accident.

sus paeta, anoder sea tragedy na fud. May their souls rest in peace!

Mga trahedya na gani sa dagat kubaan jud ko og mahadlok jud ko.

Coast Guard to probe boat tragedy

The Philippine Coast Guard is forming a panel that would investigate the capsizing of the MB Don Dexter Cathlyn off the coast of Masbate province Tuesday afternoon.

In an interview Wednesday, Coast Guard spokesman Captain Enrico Evangelista said the special board of marine inquiry will determine if the tragedy, which killed at least 40 passengers, was due to a force majeure or human error.

Initial Coast Guard report said the ill-fated motor boat, which left Masbate and was bound for Sorsogon, was engulfed by rough waters.

Evangelista also disclosed that the ferry captain did not notify the local Coast Guard that it would sail.

The MB Don Dexter Cathlyn listed 19 passengers on its manifest when it left Sorsogon.

The Coast Guard in Manila reported 100 survivors, 40 casualties and 10 still missing in the tragedy.

coast guard said that the motorized banca maybe overloaded based on the statistics they got. the boat is allowed to carry 100 but the survivors reached more than a hundred plus the 42 fatalities and 13 missing. plus passengerts said they are also carrying cavans of rice of unknown quantity.

overloaded lagi