Ormoc ferry death toll now 48; all passengers accounted for

Navy personnel recover one of the fatalities in the sinking of MB Nirvana. Photo by Jhay Gaspar, Inquirer Visayas

All the passengers and crew of a ferry that capsized off the waters of Ormoc City had been accounted for, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Friday.

Capt. Pedro Tinampay, district commander of Philippine Coast Guard Eastern Visayas, said over Radyo Inquirer that a total of 48 people were killed.

Of the 189 passengers and crew on MB Kim Nirvana, 141 had been rescued. The boat capsized shortly after it left the port on Thursday.

Tinampay said the passenger boat swiftly overturned 800 meters from Ormoc port. It was on its way to Camotes Island which would have taken about an hour.

A crane already pulled the boat from the area where it sank to the city port but it had yet to be lifted, Tinampay said.

Search and rescue operations, however, would still continue until further notice from the higher-ups.

Tinampay said they already had initial findings why the boat overturned but said he did not want to preempt the results of the main investigating body.