(UPDATE) Death toll of ferry sinking in Leyte rises to 8

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The death toll from the sinking of a ship off Panaoan island in the central Philippine province of Southern Leyte has climbed to eight, the Philippine Navy said today.

Lieutenant Commander Marineth Domingo, spokesman of the Philippine Navy, said Navy personnel have retrieved five more bodies during their ongoing search and rescue operations.

Domingo, however, failed to say whether the cadavers were those of the passengers who were reported missing.

The ill-fated ship, M/V Maharlika II, sank while en route for Liloan town in Southern Leyte province from Lipata town in Surigao province on Saturday night.

Military officials said the ship encountered steering problem as it was being battered by big waves. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, however, said the incident was not "directly related" to typhoon Kalmaegi (local name: Luis) which made landfall in northern Philippines.

Philippine authorities said only 84 passengers and crew were listed in the ship's manifest. They said many were not listed in the vessel's manifest considering that the number of survivors has reached 113.