MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) The death toll in the boat accident last Sunday rose to 44, with rescue teams shifting to search and retrieval operations, a police official said Wednesday.

In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Senior Inspector Alex delos Santos, Ballesteros police chief, said that nine more bodies were recovered in the neighboring towns of Pamplona, Abulug, and Sanchez-Mira later in the day.

As of posting time, nine are still missing while 45 have been rescued.

Delos Santos said rescue teams have yet to set a date to end their search for the remaining missing, as it would be up to the provincial disaster and coordinating council to decide.

The M/B Mae Jan sank off the shores of Aparri in Cagayan province Sunday, where at least 100 passengers and livestock were on board.