65 dead in Cebu sea collision as PCG exec hopes for ‘miracle’

AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Retrieved bodies from the Cebu sea mishap stood at 65 after Tuesday’s search operations, a Coast Guard official said.

The chief for Central Visayas Commodore William Melad told INQUIRER.net that 55 others were still missing as of 2:30p.m.

The rescued passengers remained at 750, as no new survivors had been found since Sunday night.

“I believe…maybe there will be a miracle. You never know,” he said when asked if there were still hopes for finding survivors.

The MV Thomas Aquinas, a passenger vessel, collided with the MV Sulpicio Express 7, a cargo ship, off Talisay last Friday. Both ships had about 800 passengers and crew.

The incident also caused an oil spill, which placed the whole province of Cebu under a state of calamity on Monday.

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