8 more bodies recovered from sunken ferry off Cebu; death toll rises to 105

AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Eight more bodies were recovered by divers in the past three days from the sunken ferry St. Thomas Aquinas, bringing to 105 the death toll in the August 16 collision between the passenger ship and cargo vessel Sulpicio Express Siete off Talisay City in Cebu, according to the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson.

Commander Armand Balilo, also chief of the Coast Guard’s public affairs office, said Monday that the eight bodies have been transported to the Talisay City port.

Balilo added that contrary to some reports, search-and-rescue operations by divers from the command, as well as the Navy and the Philippine National, were continuing.

Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena, the PCG chief, “has directed the teams of divers to check all sections of the [St. Thomas Aquinas.”

“He assured the families of the missing passengers and crew members of the ill-fated ferry that the command is doing its best to account for those still missing,” Balilo told the INQUIRER.

The divers were earlier reported to have covered up to 60 percent of the vessel and were scheduled to look into the ship’s tourist cabins.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, the number of missing ferry passengers and crew stood at 32. The Coast Guard placed the number of rescued passengers and crew at 629 and 104, respectively.

Balilo said the PCG station in Cebu has made revisions on the number of casualties “based on body parts recovered, as well as validations by 2Go Travel, which operated the St. Thomas Aquinas, the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and representatives of the Department of Health.”

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