14 more bodies recovered from MV Catalyn B

(Updated 10:53 p.m.) Coast Guard divers on Tuesday recovered 14 more bodies from the ill-fated MV Catalyn B that sank off Cavite province last Christmas Eve after colliding with a steel-hulled fishing vessel. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said eight bodies were recovered in the morning while six others were retrieved in the afternoon. “They [bodies] are bloated and some of them are already gory," he said, adding that they are still determining the identities of the bodies. With the retrieval, the number of confirmed fatalities in the Christmas Eve sea tragedy is now 25. Two are still missing. Frogmen hired by the San Nicholas Shipping Lines, the owner of MV Catalyn B, provided assistance in the search and retrieval operations, Balilo said. “This is a joint operation. It is a team effort," he said.
MV Catalyn B, which was carrying 59 passengers and 14 crew members, sank off Limbones Island on the night of Dec. 24 following a collision with the steel-hulled fishing boat Anatalya. PCG's Board of Marine Inquiry BMI) has already started investigation on the accident. A report is expected by the end of the month. “Before the end of the month, we can submit hopefully the report after our evaluation. Before the end of the month, we hope to complete it," said Commodore Luis Tuazon, head of the BMI panel investigating the tragedy. Meanwhile, another board panel will start Wednesday its investigation on the December 26 sinking of MV Baleno 9 off Batangas province where six people have so far been confirmed dead. Commodore Cecill Chen, the head of PCG-Southern Tagalog who will lead the investigation, said they have recommended the termination of the retrieval operations after 10 days of fruitless search for the missing 48 victims. “I recommended the termination of our retrieval [operations]. We have not found anything for the past 10 days," he said. Chen said the missing victims could be trapped inside the sunken ship, which lies 363 meters below sea level, way beyond the diving capability of Coast Guard frogmen. - KBK, GMANews.TV