Jolo ferry disaster death toll now 91

Rescuers have found seven more bodies, including that of a boy and a pregnant woman, in the waters off Jolo yesterday, bringing the number of dead to 91 in the country's latest maritime disaster.

Coast Guard officials said at least 70 survivors have been accounted for so far.

As the search for bodies and survivors continued, authorities ordered an investigation into conflicting reports of how the motor launch Annahada was allowed to leave port.

The Navy brought the seven bodies to Jolo for identification by relatives. Coast Guard officials said rescuers were still combing the sea for more bodies and, hopefully, survivors from the Wednesday night tragedy.

As hopes of finding more survivors dimmed, Coast Guard deputy commander Commodore Reuben Lista said it was possible some of the passengers of the ill-fated vessel had swam to nearby islands.

With the police and local fishermen assisting, the Coast Guard and the Navy widened their search yesterday.

"The ocean currents are strong, so we expect that most of those who were reported missing were swept further away (from the scene of the disaster)," Sulu police provincial director Candido Casimiro said.

Casimiro said policemen in other coastal towns and islands have joined the search just in case survivors or bodies turned up there.

Lista said they were also investigating accusations made by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan that the Coast Guard allowed many of the Annahada's passengers to board the vessel at the pier.

The Coast Guard initially said the boat left port with nine crewmen, 11 passengers and cargo. They even inspected the vessel before allowing it to set sail, as per maritime safety regulations. But the Annahada reportedly picked up passengers from small boats waiting at sea.

Coast Guard chief Rear Adm. Euceo Fajardo vowed yesterday to prosecute those found to be held liable for the accident. "We can never be lax if lives are at stake. We will investigate who were responsible for this incident," Fajardo said. Annahada owner Musharaf Tiling and skipper Hamed Misuari, who face multiple homicide charges, are now reportedly in hiding.

Three Coast Guard officers who supposedly inspected the Annahada before allowing it to set sail have already been sacked and will be investigated.

Authorities estimated the number of passengers at 150 to 200. But the exact number may never be known because the Annahada had no passenger manifest.

The 14.5-meter wooden boat went under about 1.3 nautical miles from Jolo when many passengers crowded one side of the vessel, causing it to tilt and capsize.

Being a cargo vessel, the Annahada was not authorized to carry many passengers. Investigators had earlier pointed to overloading as the cause of the accident after finding no indications of sabotage, foul weather or mechanical trouble.

The Annahada was bound for Bongao, Jolo en route to the Malaysian state of Sabah. Authorities also suspect that the boat was trying to smuggle job-seeking Filipinos into Malaysia.

Saying most of the passengers were headed for Sabah to look for work or visit relatives, Tan said authorities should find ways to discourage impoverished Filipinos from traveling illegally to Sabah.

"If not, these accidents could happen again," Tan said. "This is a very clear indicator that our people need jobs and livelihood. They travel to Sabah to look for jobs."

Tan said poor Filipinos prefer to travel illegally to Sabah to avail themselves of cheaper fares and avoid the required paperwork for travel and work permits.

About 300,000 Filipinos are working in Sabah in plantations, construction sites, business establishments and piers, Tan said.

Danilo Comaingking, the Coast Guard station commander in Jolo, said they were having difficulty monitoring ships that illegally ferry people to Sabah because they lack men and equipment. - With Sheila Crisostomo, AFP, Reuters