US divers join rescue efforts at capsized vessel
SAN FERNANDO, Philippines - Bodies in life jackets washed up on nearby islands and drifted at sea Wednesday as divers resumed the grim work of exploring the inside of a Philippine ferry that capsized during a powerful typhoon.
While the divers have only found bodies so far, officials were unwilling to give up hope of finding more survivors among the more than 800 people missing since the seven-story ferry listed and went down Saturday.
"There is a slim chance that we can still find survivors (inside the ferry)," coast guard Lt. Cmdr Rogelio Villanueva said. "As the days pass, indeed the chance is getting slimmer."
Four US Navy rubber boats with eight American divers went to the site Wednesday morning. Five ships, a P3 surveillance plane, two Navy HH-60 helicopters and a pilotless surveillance plane also were deployed by the US military to help search for bodies and possible survivors.
The disaster could raise the storm's death toll in the typhoon-prone country to more than 1,300, with 329 people confirmed dead from flooding and landslides and more than 200 missing.
Typhoon Fengshen, downgraded to a tropical storm, made landfall Wednesday morning in Hong Kong and southeast China, which is still recovering from flooding earlier this month.
Only four dozen ferry survivors have been found so far. Three more bodies wearing life vests believed to be from the ship washed up Wednesday on Burias island, 55 miles (90 kilometers) away, while ships were dispatched to pick up groups of up to 55 bodies spotted by surveillance aircraft.
Just the tip of the bow of the 23,824-ton Princess of the Stars was jutting from the water. The storm's aftermath kept rescue workers away until calm, sunny conditions Tuesday allowed some of the 35 divers to slither inside for the first time.
The ferry was lying on unstable coral and villagers have said a deep trench may be nearby, so there are concerns it could slip and plunge deeper.
"It's a delicate situation with the ferry's position on a reef out there," said US Navy Lt. Christian De Salvo of the USNS Stockham, adding that American divers were working with Philippine frogmen to survey the seabed.
"We'll provide them all the equipment they need, but they'll be the ones to go into the ship and take out the bodies," De Salvo said.
A distraught man whose cousin and niece were among the missing climbed a tower at the Philippine Ports Authority compound in Manila, carrying a placard demanding that the ferry's owner take relatives to the ferry site or where the bodies were being taken, as other relatives have sought. He was persuaded to come down.
Relatives also have questioned why the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on a trip to the US, ordered a thorough probe and said she hoped to find ways to avoid similar accidents in the future.
The vessel's owners, Sulpicio Lines, said the ferry sailed with coast guard approval. Debate also began anew on safe-sailing rules in a country prone to storms — Fengshen was the seventh typhoon this year — and dependent on ferries to get around the sprawling archipelago. - AP
While the divers have only found bodies so far, officials were unwilling to give up hope of finding more survivors among the more than 800 people missing since the seven-story ferry listed and went down Saturday.
"There is a slim chance that we can still find survivors (inside the ferry)," coast guard Lt. Cmdr Rogelio Villanueva said. "As the days pass, indeed the chance is getting slimmer."
Four US Navy rubber boats with eight American divers went to the site Wednesday morning. Five ships, a P3 surveillance plane, two Navy HH-60 helicopters and a pilotless surveillance plane also were deployed by the US military to help search for bodies and possible survivors.
The disaster could raise the storm's death toll in the typhoon-prone country to more than 1,300, with 329 people confirmed dead from flooding and landslides and more than 200 missing.
Typhoon Fengshen, downgraded to a tropical storm, made landfall Wednesday morning in Hong Kong and southeast China, which is still recovering from flooding earlier this month.
Only four dozen ferry survivors have been found so far. Three more bodies wearing life vests believed to be from the ship washed up Wednesday on Burias island, 55 miles (90 kilometers) away, while ships were dispatched to pick up groups of up to 55 bodies spotted by surveillance aircraft.
Just the tip of the bow of the 23,824-ton Princess of the Stars was jutting from the water. The storm's aftermath kept rescue workers away until calm, sunny conditions Tuesday allowed some of the 35 divers to slither inside for the first time.
The ferry was lying on unstable coral and villagers have said a deep trench may be nearby, so there are concerns it could slip and plunge deeper.
"It's a delicate situation with the ferry's position on a reef out there," said US Navy Lt. Christian De Salvo of the USNS Stockham, adding that American divers were working with Philippine frogmen to survey the seabed.
"We'll provide them all the equipment they need, but they'll be the ones to go into the ship and take out the bodies," De Salvo said.
A distraught man whose cousin and niece were among the missing climbed a tower at the Philippine Ports Authority compound in Manila, carrying a placard demanding that the ferry's owner take relatives to the ferry site or where the bodies were being taken, as other relatives have sought. He was persuaded to come down.
Relatives also have questioned why the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on a trip to the US, ordered a thorough probe and said she hoped to find ways to avoid similar accidents in the future.
The vessel's owners, Sulpicio Lines, said the ferry sailed with coast guard approval. Debate also began anew on safe-sailing rules in a country prone to storms — Fengshen was the seventh typhoon this year — and dependent on ferries to get around the sprawling archipelago. - AP
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