SANTIAGO CITY – The death toll in the sinking of a passenger boat off northern Cagayan on Dec. 14 has increased to 44 after rescue teams recovered 14 more bodies off the Luzon Strait on Wednesday, reports from the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council said.

Chief Supt. Roberto Damian, Cagayan Valley police director and RDCC chair, said various teams have continued search and rescue operations in the waters off Abulug, Ballesteros and Aparri towns.

Reports from the Philippine Navy said search teams have also scoured the coastlines of Pamplona and Sanchez Mira towns for bodies or survivors.

The boat, MB Mae Jan, came from the island town of Calayan and was about 50 meters from its destination in Aparri when it sank after strong waves battered it on Sunday.

At least 46 passengers survived. The boat was reportedly carrying at least 100 passengers and crewmembers when it sank.

Damian said seven among the dead were children, who have remained unidentified.

Calayan Mayor Joseph Llopis said the town government has set aside P200,000 in financial aid for the immediate family of each fatality.

Llopis, whose relatives were among those who died in the accident, said many of the bodies are still in funeral parlors in Ballesteros and Aparri and Tuguegarao City as their relatives were waiting for good weather before these are transported to Calayan.

“The waters have been rough so we have to wait probably for a few days more before bringing them to Calayan,” he said.

In Antique, a person drowned and 19 others were rescued after a cargo ship loaded with 22,000 bags of cement sank between the islands of Sibay and Panagatan in Caluya town in the province.

Commodore William Melad, Coast Guard district chief for Western Visayas, said MV Maria Lourdes capsized and sank around 6:30 p.m.

The vessel, owned by the Candano Shipping Lines, came from Iligan City and was bound for San Jose in Mindoro when it sank after being battered by huge waves.

The surviving crewmembers were rescued by 1 a.m. Wednesday, Melad said.

Melad identified the lone fatality as Alex Tambasin, chief engineer of the cargo vessel.

Melad said officials of the shipping line contacted the Coast Guard around 6 p.m. Tuesday and reported that the vessel was already listing after one of its engines malfunctioned.