Basilan PDRRMO: 2 ferry passengers still missing

Zamboanga City, Philippines — Two more passengers of the ferry M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, which caught fire off Basilan on March 29, remain missing, according to the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The PDRRMO said search and retrieval operations continue despite the declaration of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that all missing passengers have been accounted for.

The Coast Guard said Pfc. Marion Malda, whose body part was recovered in the waters off Mohammad Ajul town on Tuesday, is the remaining missing passenger.

Nixon Alonzo, Basilan PDRRMO chief, said the missing passengers were based on the list collated in coordination with the Sulu PDRRMO.

“Two are still missing, considering that there are 16 recovered unidentified charred remains out of the 18 listed names of those missing,” Alonzo said in a phone interview.

The PDRRMO said the death toll due to the ferry fire is 33. Aside from the 16 charred remains recovered on the vessel, 17 passengers were found dead during retrieval operations.

Meanwhile, Alonzo said Philippine National Police forensic personnel took tissue samples from the charred remains.

He said swab samples from potential family members of the victims are also being collected.

The ferry was bound for Jolo when it caught fire in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad.

A spark from a ceiling lamp in the passenger cabin may have caused the fire, initial investigation by the PCG showed.