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Search for 744 'Princess' passengers resumes


MANILA, Philippines - Over 700 passengers remain unaccounted for as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) resumes its search and rescue operations on Wednesday for the missing passengers of MV Princess of the Stars, which capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon province over the weekend. PCG Lieutenant Commander Rogelio Villanueva, flagship secretary for special concerns, said fatalities remain at 70. He said 48 people had so far survived the sea tragedy. "That means that if the total passengers and crew members is 862, there are 744 still missing...the efforts (search inside ship) resumed first thing in the morning," Villanueva told reporters during a briefing on Wednesday at the office of the Department of National Defense at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. At least a hundred divers, 30 from the Coast Guard, are now in the area helping in the operations, according to Villanueva. He said 19 more divers were on their way to Sibuyan aboard a ship. "The Coast Guard is in full force...we are concentrating on finding bodies, if not survivors inside the ship," Villanueva said. However, he said the PCG has limited capacity for search and rescue operations due to lack of equipment. "Our divers are very capable but the problem is on the equipment." GMANews.TV
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