Ferry sinks in Philippines; 3 dead, 22 missing

A passenger ferry sank in the northern Philippines in a second sea disaster in three days. Three bodies were recovered and 22 were missing, the coast guard said today.

Search-and-rescue teams rescued 63 passengers and crew of the MV Baleno-9 and were scouring the seas for others still unaccounted for, the coast guard said in a statement.

It quoted survivors as saying the vessel took in water coming from the bow ramp and listed before going under while traversing the area of Verde Island passage off Batangas province south of Manila.
On Christmas Eve, a wooden-hulled ferry with 73 people on board collided with a fishing vessel near the mouth of Manila Bay, with 24 people still missing.

Three bodies and 46 survivors have been recovered from that accident, which prompted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to suspend operations of the companies involved in the collision.

Officials suspected Thursday's accident was likely caused by human error, but a formal inquiry was expected to begin tomorrow.
Sea accidents are common in the archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
Last year, a ferry overturned after sailing toward a powerful typhoon in the central Philippines, killing more than 800 people on board.