MV Trisha Kerstin death toll now 40 as 3 more bodies found in Basilan

The number of deaths from the ill-fated M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 has climbed to 40 on Sunday after three more cadavers were recovered in the waters off Basilan.

The Philippine Coast Guard retrieved the cadavers after they were found by the Hadji Muhtamad local government.

The Roll On-Roll Off passenger ferry departed from Port of Zamboanga City on January 25, Sunday, and was en route to Jolo, Sulu when it submerged in Basilan waters the following day.

From the initial count of 19, 11 more bodies were recovered on Thursday, four on Friday, and three on Saturday.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it would review survivors’ claims of insufficient life vests, missing names on the passenger manifest, and that the sunken ferry was a replacement for another vessel. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News