MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday recovered another body of a passenger of ferry M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 that caught fire off the waters of Basilan in late March.
In a statement, the PCG said a concerned citizen saw the body of Alses Hassan, one of the two missing passengers of the ferry, in the vicinity waters off Langgas Island, Maluso in Basilan.
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This brings the number of confirmed deaths due to the incident to 32.
“Coast Guard personnel turned over the cadaver to [Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office] Maluso for proper disposition,” it said.
As of Sunday, the PCG said it recorded 216 survivors and 32 deaths due to the fire. One passenger is still missing.
Of the deaths, 15 were recovered at the sea while 17 were recovered on board the vessel.
The vessel was ferrying 205 passengers — 20 Army personnel included — 35 crew members, four Coast Guard personnel and additional five Army personnel when it caught fire on the evening of March 29.
It was sailing from Zamboanga City to Jolo in Sulu when a fire broke out. As fire and thick smoke engulfed the vessel, some passengers jumped aboard.
Search and rescue operations are continuing more than a week since the incident.
Initial PCG investigation showed that a spark from a ceiling lamp in a passenger cabin may have caused the fire. — Kristine Joy Patag with reports from Gaea Katreena Cabico