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Search on for ferry survivors

— Photo: AFP

The hull of the upturned MV Princess of the Stars off the coast of Sibuyan island in Romblon province in the central Philippines on Monday.

MANILA: Philippine officials refused to give up hope of rescuing some of the 800 people missing after a ferry capsized during Typhoon Fengshen, even as the still-roiling seas hampered efforts to get inside the vessel on Monday.

Divers heard no response when they hammered on the tip of the 23,824-tonne ship that was jutting from the water, off Sibuyan Island in central Philippines.

“We’re not ruling out that somebody there is still alive,” said Coast Guard chief Wilfredo Tamayo, adding: “You can never tell.”

But strong waves have largely kept a small flotilla of rescue ships at bay and continued to pound the area on Monday, leaving officials to plan the best way to get inside — either with divers from below or by a hole that would be drilled in the hull, said Mr. Tamayo.

Rescue workers would have to operate carefully. The ferry’s owner, Sulpicio Lines, said the vessel was carrying bunker oil that could leak out. A U.S. Navy ship carrying search-and-rescue helicopters was expected to arrive from Okinawa late on Monday, and a P-3 maritime surveillance plane was also being sent.

However, hope dwindled by the hour that large groups of survivors might be found in areas where communications were cut off by the storm that left at least 163 people dead in flooded communities. Only 38 wave-battered survivors from the ferry have been found so far, including 28 who drifted at sea for more than 24 hours, first in a life raft, then in lifejackets, before they were found on Sunday. But bodies were washing up on shore to the west and northwest, too. The Coast Guard said it was checking a survivor’s report that at least one group of people — some dead, some alive — had been spotted bobbing in the sea.

Officials initially reported 747 passengers and crew were aboard the ferry, but said it was carrying about 100 more. While some relatives tearfully waited for news, others were angry that the ship was allowed to leave Manila on Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching. The government ordered Sulpicio Lines to suspend services pending an investigation into the accident. — AP

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