More bodies expected as Coast Guard teams cut through SuperFerry

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) search and retrieval teams said they expect to find more bodies as they started to cut through the ship to access the areas of a ferry that caught fire in the waters of Corregidor last week.

This developed as the PCG’s Public Information Office (PIO) clarified that 12 bodies, not 17, have been recovered since the SuperFerry 14 caught fire on Feb. 27.

The PCG said it has resorted to its last option in retrieving the bodies inside the half-submerged ferry after rescuers found it hard to enter the ship as all possible entrances were blocked by debris and cargo.

"We have to cut through the hull of the ship to enter. There may be more bodies inside. We have no other choice, even if (the cutting) reduces much of the salvage value of the ship," a PIO official said.

The PIO said only two bodies were recovered last Friday, and not seven as reported in newspapers. One of the bodies was identified by his wife as that of 46-year-old Nelson Juarez. The other body, who is in state of decomposition and beyond recognition will be subjected to DNA testing to trace its relatives, according to the PCG.

The Coast Guard is still looking for the 123 missing out of the ship’s total passengers and crew of 899.

The other bodies were identified by their relatives as Cristy Rubico, 24; Clynn Paculba, 16; Marilou Pamonag, Perlita Cañasa, Emilia and Benito Asumbrado. The other still unidentified bodies were brought to LP Vasquez Funeral Homes in Sta. Cruz, Manila while awaiting claimants.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan reiterated his call to residents near the shores to report to their nearest Coast Guard stations of rescued passengers. "We are optimistic that most of those missing have been rescued by passing fishing boats but failed to report it to authorities," Gosingan said.

The Coast Guard’s Board of Marine Inquiry headed by Commodore Wilfredo Tamayo will start its own probe this week.

A number of relatives of the passengers are still keeping vigil at the PCG headquarters in Port Area, Manila hoping to hear word on the fate of their loved ones. – Nestor Etolle