100 people rescued, two dead, after ferry sinks in Philippines

At least 100 people have been rescued, and two confirmed dead, after a ferry sank in bad weather in the central Philippines. However, the Maharlika II only had 84 people listed as being on board, so authorities cannot say how many more may be missing. The ferry left Liloan port in Southern Leyte province and an order to abandon ship was given at 21:20 (13:20 GMT). Ships are still searching for the remaining crew and passengers and there are no reports of any fatalities so far, the council said.

Rescue boats had trouble reaching them because the waves were really huge.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokeswoman Mina Marasigan

It is common practice in the Philippines for some passengers to board such ferries without being listed. Poorly-maintained, loosely-regulated ferries are the backbone of maritime travel in the sprawling archipelago. But this has led to frequent accidents that have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years including the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster in 1987 when the Dona Paz ferry collided with an oil tanker, leaving more than 4,300 dead.

Asia-Pacific Philippines ferry