7 survivors of ferry sinking rescued off Sabah

At least seven Filipino survivors of a ferry that sank in bad weather off Palawan four days ago have been rescued by the Philippine Navy and Malaysian fishermen, officials said yesterday.

Deputy head of naval forces in the southern Philippines, Capt. Petronilo Magno, said four Filipinos were picked up Tuesday by fishermen near Bangui island, off Sabah, and had been turned over to the BRP Dagupan City for their scheduled transfer to Balabac island.

Three other survivors, including the ill-fated ferry’s engineer, were also rescued later by a passing fishing boat at Bangkalan island, Navy spokesman Commander Geronimo Malabanan said.

The seven are among the 27 survivors so far of the sunken ferry, the Piary, a wooden hulled vessel that went down in stormy seas Sunday off Palawan carrying at least 75 passengers.

The four rescued earlier were originally a group of five spotted by Philippine aircraft clinging to wooden debris near Bangui, and were identified as Hadji Kiasar Ali, 33; Mali Iding, 38; Nujasil Julkipli, 37, and Rochelle Cuenca, 28. It was not clear what happened to their fifth companion.

The three other survivors were identified as the Piary’s engineer Edmund Dacayo, 34; Navia Jalani, 40, and Ayud Ibrahim, 27. They are now headed for Brooke’s Point in Palawan.

Twenty survivors were taken Monday by a tanker bound for Malaysia, where they received initial treatment.

Philippine naval and coastguard vessels are still searching the area for more survivors amid rain and rough seas, even as a body was reportedly plucked out from waters in the area. Details on the death were yet unavailable.

A Navy plane conducting aerial search for missing passengers sighted Wednesday afternoon two floating bodies five nautical miles south of Banguey Island, but only one was recovered, navy officials said.

The Piary left Tawi-Tawi Saturday night for Brooke’s Point in Southern Palawan, but radioed for help Sunday morning after its wooden hull was punctured by the rough seas and was heavily taking in water.

Responding coast guard found no trace of the boat in its last reported location with its passengers swept as far away as the territorial seas of Malaysia.

Naval authorities are currently coordinating with their Malaysian counterparts following the reported recovery of more survivors by the Malaysian navy, which is assisting in the search and rescue operations.

"There are unconfirmed reports reaching headquarters that there are another 28 survivors found in Sibugo Island, Malaysia by Malaysian Navy. We are coordinating with the Malaysian authorities to confirm the veracity of this information," Malabanan said.

Meanwhile, in Leyte and parts of Mindanao, rescue and relief activities continued for thousands of people displaced or left missing by flashfloods and landslides last weekend.

The toll of dead and missing from landslides and flashfloods in Leyte and Mindanao has risen to 156, the authorities said.

More than 24,000 people are still housed in evacuation centers with damage to crops and infrastructure estimated at over $5 million. — AFP, Jose Aravilla, Jaime Laude