Hopes fade of recovering Philippines ferry victims
24/06/2008
Rescuers searching for survivors from a ferry gutted by last weekend's devastating typhoon in the Philippines have said they are unlikely to find more survivors.
The ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars capsized off the coast of Sibuyan Island on Saturday after Typhoon Fengshen unexpectedly changed course and strafed northern regions of the archipelago.
Rescues had expressed hopes that some of the ship's 862 passengers could have swum to safety or survived in air pockets within the upturned and partially-floating vessel.
But according to the Philippines navy, divers have now completed their search of the wreckage and are reported to have discovered only bodies.
Commenting on the gruesome news, lieutenant colonel Edgardo Arevalo said: "It was too dark inside to tell how many were children or elderly, but they did say they were mostly floating and they were apparently trapped inside.
"What complicates our problem is how to extricate the bodies. One of the ways they are thinking about is to weigh them down so they can take them out from the bottom of the ship. Another option is to cut the hull."
The Philippine Coast Guard is presently reporting that just 76 people have been found alive following the disaster, about half of whom swum to the nearby islands of Sibuyan and Burias.
President Gloria Arroyo has lashed out at marine officials for allowing the vessel to set sail, demanding to know why they had not monitored Fengshen's gradually changing course.
The typhoon has been blamed for the deaths of at least 160 people elsewhere in the Philippines.
©