Coast Guard: Cebu tragedy death toll up to 80

The number of fatalities from last week's collision between a passenger ship and a cargo vessel rose further to 80 as of Friday evening, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

With this, the Coast Guard said search operations are continuing for at least 40 more passengers of the MV Saint Thomas Aquinas 1.

"As of 6 p.m. on Aug. 23, 750 people and crew were rescued and 80 casualties recovered while 40 are still missing and subject for search-and-rescue operations," it said on its Twitter account.

Earlier, Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said the PCG is not yet switching from rescue to retrieval in its search.

Balilo, in an interview on dzBB radio late Thursday, had said there is no timetable on how long they should look for survivors from the MV Saint Thomas Aquinas 1.

"Walang timetable, ang guidance ni Admiral Isorena, hangga't maari i-account ang mga nawawala (We have no timetable on when to shift to retrieval operations. The guidance of Coast Guard commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena is to account for the missing)," he said.

Balilo said Isorena instructed them to find all the missing even if they may have died, so their families may have closure.

The MV Saint Thomas of Aquinas 1 sank after colliding with the MV Sulpicio Express 7 last week in Cebu. The collision also led to an oil spill that is affecting Cordova town.

Earlier, the Coast Guard said an investigation will be held on the incident, once search operations are finished. — VC, GMA News