Ferry disaster death toll rises

Anguish as more bodies brought to shore

ORMOC CITY (Philippines): The death toll from the Philippines’ ferry disaster rose to 41 as rescuers brought more bodies ashore to anguished families, including 10-year-old survivor Gilbert de la Cruz who wailed in despair as the corpse of his one-year-old brother was recovered.

Divers were searching for five people still missing after the Kim Nirvana carrying 173 passengers and 14 crewmen capsized as it was leaving Ormoc port in the central Philippines on Thursday.

Crowds of anxious relatives waited at the port as divers manoeuvred their inflatable boats through the choppy waters to the upturned hull of the ferry, its brightly painted orange and green bow just poking above the surface.

As de la Cruz embraced his distraught father, hopes were fading that the boy’s mother and sister could be still alive trapped in the hull.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told reporters 141 survived, including all the crew, while five others were missing.

Abaya said government investigators would summon the crew to determine the cause of the accident.

“We will get to the bottom of this and make sure that this does not happen again,” he said.

The ship was on its regular run to the Camotes island group, about an hour’s sail away when it capsized.

Survivors have recounted how the 33-tonne vessel was backing out of the port when it suddenly overturned, giving them no chance to put on life jackets.

De la Cruz said he survived by clinging to empty water drums that kept him afloat until the coast guard rescued him.

The 10-year-old said he was standing near the deck when it tilted, allowing him to jump into the water, but he was unable to look behind him to see if his family had also escaped.

“I’m very sad because I don’t know if they are still alive,” he said before his youngest brother’s remains were brought to shore.

“I am never riding a boat again,” he said, as he was comforted by his aunt whose eyes were swollen from crying.

Nicasia Degesica, a 57-year-old seamstress, waited at the port for news of her elder sister, Erlinda Rosales, while other distraught relatives checked hospitals and morgues for their loved ones.

“We’re losing hope that she is still alive, but if she’s dead at least we want to find her body,” Degesica said.

Divers briefly stopped their search in the morning as the waters became choppy due to Tropical Storm Linfa, which was set to brush past the northern Philippines later yesterday, said Chief Superintendent Asher Dolina, one of the ground commanders.

Asked if they still expected to find survivors, Dolina said: “We really can’t say. Miracles can happen.”

The state weather service issued a gale alert for the central Philippines early yesterday, warning of turbulent seas churned up by the storm.

Waves up to 4.5m high could overturn boats that try to leave port in these conditions, weather forecaster Gladys Saludes said. — AFP