Philippines ferry accident: Death toll crosses 50, police file complaint against owner and crew

Manila, Philippines: Rescuers on Friday retrieved five more bodies from a ferry that capsized just moments after departing from a central Philippine port, raising the death toll to 50.

The bodies were recovered hours after coast guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said all 187 passengers and crew members on the M/B Kim Nirvana had been accounted for, with 45 dead, 142 survivors and no reports of anyone else missing. The vessel overturned in choppy waters on Thursday off Ormoc City.

Balilo said the new bodies were found after a floating crane pulled the 36-ton wooden vessel close to shore. The additional fatalities raised questions about the number of people on board, and Balilo said they will have to recheck the number of survivors and investigate if the crew allowed people not on the manifest to board the ferry.

The outrigger was leaving Ormoc port en route to one of the Camotes Islands, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) to the south, when it was lashed by strong waves and capsized, he said.

“Among the things we will look into is if there was a faulty maneuver, the stability of the vessel, and of course the weather,” he added.

Regional coast guard commander Capt. Pedro Tinampay told DZBB radio in Manila that the movement of cargo inside the ferry may have contributed to the accident. The ferry was carrying heavy construction materials and bags of rice.

Ormoc, a regional economic and transportation hub of about 200,000 people, is located in a disaster-prone eastern region that is regularly hit by some of the approximately 20 tropical storms and typhoons that blow in from the Pacific each year.

Murder complaints filed over capsized Philippine ferry

Police filed multiple murder complaints against the owner and the crew of a ferry that capsized shortly after pulling out of port.

Senior Inspector Rio Tan of the Ormoc City police says the complaints were filed with the local prosecutor late Friday as the 36-ton M/B Kim Nirvana was lifted from the water.

Regional coast guard commander Capt. Pedro Tinampay said Saturday that at least 59 died and 145 survived, including all 18 crew members.

Tinampay says a marine investigation has begun and it will also determine how many people actually were aboard the vessel.

AP