Philippine ferry sinks, 700 aboard missing

[Thoth]

Damn.

Lancer, I hope all of your friends and family are safe.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lancer

No people we know ..., thanks for thinking of them... Thank God no family people traveling that we know of. ...

[FrostyBoy]

****, I know young two girls who live in Iloilo. Two of the nicest girls I have ever met actually. Man, I hope they are okay.

[SlowwHand]

This might be one of those times when a phone call or something matters.

[Lancer]

Thanks Thoth, we think so, hope so...

Good idea Sloww. Frosty, why not call and find out?

[FrostyBoy]

I can't, I lost contact, they are daughters of two ministers, who work in a ministry in Iloilo.

[Arrian]

[Q Classic]

Why was the ferry out on the water, anyway? Or did the waves kinda just surprise them?

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by FrostyBoy
I can't, I lost contact, they are daughters of two ministers, who work in a ministry in Iloilo.

I had the brilliant idea of running a google search for "Iloilo minister." Unfortunately, Fiji had a President named "Iloilo" and there was also a prime minister.

[SlowwHand]

If the denomination was known, it would be a lot easier. "Iloilo churches" seemed more productive.

[Zkribbler]

No One Found Alive in Ferry

Bodies found in Philippine ferry

Teams of rescue divers have managed to get inside the upturned hull Rescue divers found bodies but no survivors as they began searching a capsized ferry in the Philippines, navy personnel say.

The ferry, carrying more than 800 people, overturned on Saturday in high seas caused by Typhoon Fengshen.

Fewer than 40 passengers and crew have been found alive, and officials fear most were trapped inside the vessel.

Teams of divers who made their way inside the ship saw no signs of life, officials said.

The ship is resting on the sea floor with the tip of its bow above water, just off Sibuyan Island.

Divers said it was too dark inside to make out many details, navy spokesman Lt-Col Edgard Arevalo reported.

"It was too dark inside to tell how many were children or elderly, but they did say they were mostly floating and they were apparently trapped inside," he said.

Rough seas have been hampering search efforts, but about 20 divers are at the scene.

They will soon be joined by US navy frogmen on board a US military vessel sailing from Guam, Coast Guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.

The divers on the scene had used broken windows and other access points to get inside the sunken ship. The focus now was on retrieving bodies, he added.

So far only about three dozen survivors have been found.

Investigation

On Monday, 28 people were found in a coastal village, while at least four more were found on Sunday. Reports of other groups of survivors remain unconfirmed.

Those who escaped the vessel have described scenes of panic as people struggled to board lifeboats in heavy seas and high winds.
Survivors like Renato Lanurias spoke of panic and high seas

Many people ended up jumping overboard, they said.

The seven-storey Princess of the Stars ferry was sailing from the capital Manila to Cebu when it went down.

President Gloria Arroyo has called for an inquiry into why the vessel was allowed to sail when a typhoon was forecast.

Vessels belonging to the owner, Sulpicio Lines, have been ordered to suspend operations pending inspections.

Typhoon Fengshen caused devastation across much of the central Philippines.

About 160 people died in flooding and landslides, while homes, bridges and roads were washed away.

In worst-hit Iloilo, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to evacuate, the Red Cross said.

The typhoon has now weakened to a tropical storm and is heading north into the South China Sea.

Some folks floated for more than 24-hours before being found and rescued.

[SlowwHand]

Are there no sharks there? The survivors seem to have been kissed with grace twice, at least.

[Zkribbler]

According to Lancer, the waters around the Philippines have been fished out, so the sharks have long since gone looking for food elsewhere.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
This might be one of those times when a phone call or something matters.

When we had a similar accident between Sweden and Estonia ten years ago, when a huge 1000-passenger ferry flipped over in cold waters, people were rumoured to have woken up with the door in the ceiling and made their last call home But then the ship sunk like a stone and it was all over.

The current event must have been similar but worse, with people possibly surviving for hours inside the sunken ship. In cold waters you live for minutes, but in the Philippines you could live for hours in air pockets inside the ship, and die a slow agonic death.