105 survivors, 2 killed in sunken ferry off Southern Leyte coast

MANILA, Philippines — Rescuers have saved 105 survivors and recovered two fatalities on board the inter-island ferry that is believed to have sunk late Saturday after encountering engine problems in bad weather in the central Philippines, officials said.

Southern Leyte Governor Roger Mercado told the INQUIRER that as of 2:14 a.m. Sunday, of the 105 survivors on board MV Maharlika II, 34 are now in Lipata Terminal, Surigao; 53 survivors and two dead bodies are on board MT St. Martin and 17 survivors are already on board MV Lara Ventura.

Governor Mercado chairs the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The skipper of the M/V Maharlika II ordered its passengers and his crewmen to abandon the ferry after it began to list in choppy waters and strong winds midway through its trip off Southern Leyte province, Office of Civil Defense director Blanche Gobenciong and coast guard personnel said.

The Maharlika left Surigao city around noon Saturday but its skipper sent a distress call about three hours later after it stalled due to engine problems. The crew also could not steer the ferry, said coast guard staffer Joan Endrina in Manila.

The ferry could not be found when the first rescue ship arrived in the area where it stalled, raising fears that the boat had sunk, Endrina said.

There were big waves at the scene of the accident but the area was not directly affected by a storm blowing off the northern Philippines, Gobenciong said.

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Originally posted: 5:09 am | Sunday, September 14th, 2014