Most passengers safe and accounted for, but search and rescue operations are ongoing, with casualties feared, say officials.
Casualties are feared after a boat carrying 251 passengers capsized in the northern Philippines’ Quezon province, some 70 kilometers east of Manila, on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
At a press briefing in Manila, coast guard spokesperson Captain Armand Balilo said they got a report at 11 a.m. (0300GMT) from their Northern Quezon station that the Mercraft 3, a boat bound for Polillo island, had sunk.
According to initial information, the craft has a maximum capacity of 286 passengers, with 251 passengers reportedly on board, Balilo said as quoted by Inquirer News.
He added that reports of causalities are still being confirmed.
Provincial police chief Senior Supt. Rhoderick Armamento said most of the passengers have already been rescued and accounted for based on the passenger manifest, but search and rescue operations are ongoing for the remaining passengers and crew.
The cause of the sinking remains unclear, but police report said the vessel left a port in the town of Real around 10:30 a.m. (0230GMT) and was slammed by huge waves, causing it to sink.
“Initial reports said the boat sustained a big hole that caused it to capsize,” said Juanito Diaz, acting Quezon disaster risk reduction and management council chief.
Diaz said the coast guard, with the help of the local disaster management offices and the local fishermen in the area, were able to save some victims, but is also seeking military help with search and rescue.
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