Still no final tally on ferry fire victims

BURNT REMAINS Locals and a police officer look at the burnt passenger ferry MV Lady Mary Joy 3 after it was towed to the shores of Hadji Muhmatad town in Basilan province. —AFP

Rescuers continued to search for missing passengers of the ferry that caught fire with more than 200 passengers off one of the Basilan islands on March 29.

In his report to President Marcos on Saturday, Carlito Galvez Jr., senior undersecretary and officer in charge of the Department of National Defense (DND), said that as of April 1, authorities reported that 28 were killed and 32 went missing in the maritime accident involving the MV Lady Mary Joy 3.

It was not clear if any others were found dead and how many remained missing, but Galvez said there were 227 survivors from the maritime accident, more than the 205 passengers in the ferry’s manifest.

The Maritime Industry Authority supposedly began its probe of the deadly accident on March 31, but there has still been no report on its latest findings at press time.

In apologizing to the victims and their families on Friday, the ferry’s owner, Aleson Shipping Lines Inc., said it would cooperate with authorities to ferret out why there were more survivors than manifested passengers.

Galvez, however, said both the national and local government have been continuously providing relief and financial assistance to the passengers of the MV Lady Mary Joy 3, which caught fire off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan.

Financial assistance

The DND chief said that so far, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the provincial government of Basilan distributed financial assistance worth P640,000 and more than P71,000 worth of food and nonfood items.

Galvez also said local and provincial authorities in Basilan and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao provided the victims hygiene kits and clothing.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), on the other hand, also distributed meals to the victims while the DSWD personnel conducted psychosocial intervention to the survivors staying at the DSWD Home for Women in Mampang, Zamboanga City.

The Philippine Red Cross also conducted first-aid treatment to the survivors and provided cadaver bags, the Galvez reported.

“During the retrieval operations, it came out that out of the 18 bodies visually identified, only 17 actual cadavers were recovered from the scene. Subsequently, the said bodies were brought to Villa Arcega Funeral Homes in Zamboanga City for proper identification and disposition,” the secretary said.

First responders

Currently, the two Navy vessels that served as the incident’s first responders are still in the area conducting search, rescue and retrieval operations, he added.

Galvez said the Office of Civil Defense, in collaboration with local agencies, continues the accounting of the casualties and survivors as part of the process of providing further assistance as well as for insurance claims.

“Our AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PCG troops are also still in the area providing all the needed support and assistance to the victims’ families and the community,” Galvez added. INQ