Rescue efforts going on as 10 still missing in Basilan ferry accident, 18 dead

MANILA- Search and rescue operations continued on Tuesday for 10 people still missing after a passenger boat capsized off a southern Philippine province, with the death toll rising slightly to 18, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Captain Noemie Cayabyab, a spokesperson at the PCG, said the total number of people on board had been revised to 344, down from the earlier figure of 359, after verifying that 15 people listed on the manifest did not board the vessel.

The number of rescued passengers remained at 316, Cayabyab told reporters.

The accident occurred at 1:50 a.m. (1750 GMT) on Monday while the passenger vessel, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, was en route to Jolo in Sulu province after departing from Zamboanga. The PCG said the vessel has an authorized passenger capacity of 352.

The PCG said it was not yet prepared to conclude why the ferry sank, with the investigation still ongoing.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands with a patchy maritime safety record.

-Reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Matthew Lewis/Reuters