Dozens rescued from distressed ferry

MANILA, Philippines - Rescuers saved at least 34 of the 84 people on board an inter-island ferry that is believed to have sunk late Saturday after encountering engine problems in bad weather in the central Philippines, officials said.

The skipper of the M/V Maharlika II ordered its 58 passengers and his 25 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.

A ship deployed by the company that owned the Maharlika rescued 34 people, and two passing foreign vessels, including a fuel tanker, saved a still-unknown number of passengers and crew, according to Philippines coast guard officer Noel Torralba in the central city of Surigao , where the survivors were being taken.

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.