Army divers discover ‘many bodies’ inside ill-fated ferry

(Updated 12:40 p.m.) Military officials said rescue teams recovered Friday the bodies of three more people from the ill-fated ferry which ran aground off Quezon province, bringing the death toll to 15 although the figure was expected to rise with a chilling discovery inside the vessel. "Divers attempted to go inside the ship, they saw many dead bodies inside," said Lieutenant Col. Rhoderick Parayno, military spokesman for Southern Luzon. Parayno said members of the Southern Luzon Command (SolCom) joint task force recovered the three bodies from San Francisco town, where the M/V Blue Water Princess lays on its side some 500 meters away from the shore. "New recoveries for today are three dead. [They are] two old people and one child. Total since yesterday is 15 dead," Parayno said, quoting field reports from the task force. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday noon reported that its death toll swelled to 11 with the recovery of three bodies in San Francisco. Radio station dzBB quoted PCG officials as saying that the remains were those of a child, a man and a woman. Parayno said the SolCom will dispatch more diving equipment to area, but noted that turbulent weather was making the search and rescue effort more difficult. He said rescuers, "can't start recovery due to strong waves ... The [Navy vessel] PS-28 still can't go near after several attempts. We don't have rubber boats for use of divers. It will help." The road to the site has become muddy because of the rains. With the SolCom's announcement, at least 126 survivors and 11 bodies have been recovered in San Francisco. Four bodies and three survivors were recovered in nearby San Andres town. Lieutenant Senior Grade Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, said Coast Guard divers from Southern Tagalog were given orders to search and enter the "spaces" of the ship to look for survivors. The M/V Blue Water Princess left the Dalahican port in Lucena City Wednesday and was supposed to arrive at Masbate. However, the 483-ton vessel ran aground near the Bondoc Peninsula, causing it to tilt to its side. It is owned by shipping firm AC-Joy Express Liner and Magic Blue Ferry. Balilo said 144 passengers were on board, while Parayno said the vessel carried 256 sea travelers. A total of 22 crew members were on board, according to a radio report. Government officials have also given conflicting figures on the number of people on the ship manifest, ranging from a low of 18 to a high of 60. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard advised the passengers' relatives to call up its action center for inquiries at phone numbers (+632) 5272724 and (+632) 5278481 local 6136 and 6137. - GMANews.TV