15 dead as RORO vessel sinks off Basilan; rescue ops ongoing for survivors

Fifteen people were confirmed dead and 43 were missing after a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry vessel sank in the waters offshore Pilas Island, Basilan early Monday.

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman said 317 people have been rescued.

He said that according to survivors, the sea was calm when the incident happened. 

"Ang kuwento sa akin ng survivors hindi naman daw maalon," he said.

In a separate interview, Commander Romel Duwa, Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao operations officer, said the RORO vessel M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 was not overloaded when the incident happened.

"Malaki po ang capacity nitong RORO, walang overloading. Magbigay po kami ng update (regarding the number of rolling cargoes), ang focus po namin ngayon 'yung rescue operation," he said.

He added some of the survivors were brought to Zamboanga while other were brought to Basilan.

"342 ang nakamanifest na pasahero ng M/V Trisha kerstin 3 bound to Jolo, Sulu... Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi Rajiun (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return)," Pilas Island, Basilan Mayor Arsina Kahing-Nanoh said in a post on Facebook earlier in the day.

Some passengers have already been rescued, the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the local government unit of Pilas Island said.

Kahing-Nanoh said some passengers were rescued by the Bantay Dagat of Barangay Baluk-Baluk. They were turned over by the barangay captain to Coast Guard-Basilan and the big vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Hataman posted on his Facebook account a live video of the arrival of some survivors at the pier.

He directed the Basilan PDRRMO and Pilas LGU to coordinate to rescue the passengers of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3.

The vessel is owned by Aleson Shipping Lines Inc.

In an incident report, the Philippine Coast Guard said the vessel submerged while en route to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboaga City at around 1:50 a.m. It was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members when the incident happened approximately 2.75 nautical miles northeast of Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan.

The PCG said based on initial investigation, M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 departed the Port of Zamboanga City at around 9:20 p.m. on January 25, "operating within its authorized maximum passenger capacity of 352."

No oil spill has been observed as of this time, according to CGDSWM. —with a report from Peewee Bacuño/KG/AOL, GMA Integrated News