Gina Virtusio, corporate communications director of WG&A shipping company which owns SuperFerry 14, said that from their previous record of 101 missing passengers, 14 were deducted representing those passengers whose whereabouts could not be traced. The figure once stood at 134 passengers and crew but has since been reduced after more bodies were recovered while other survivors were found to have gone already home without reporting their rescue.
The remaining 87 represents passengers whose families confirmed their failure to come home. Passengers are requested to indicate their addresses and phone numbers in buying tickets.
"We cannot tell what really happened to them (14 missing passengers) so we are focusing on those confirmed missing," she said.
The revised figure narrowed down the number of bodies that needs to be found. The number of missing passengers baffles rescuers as only 20-percent of the 10,000 ship remains as the only unexplored areas. No body has been found on the open seas.
The ship is lying on its right side of starboard partially flooding it. The large amount of debris in the flooded area is making it difficult for Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) divers to search for more bodies.
As of presstime yesterday, two more bodies were recovered bringing the number f confirmed dead to 26. The process of identifying the bodies is ongoing with 11 already named.
PCG public information officer Lt. Armand Balilo has officially placed the body count at 23 but admitted that the several body parts they recovered from the ship may at least account for three bodies. — Jose Aravilla