Superferry 9 Sinks off Zamboanga Philippines
The passenger ship which was reported listing off the coast of Zamboanga Peninsula has sunk, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro reported today (Sept. 6).
In a radio interview, Teodoro, also chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said he received reports from the Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that Superferry 9 had sunk.
“Lumubog na [ang] Superferry totally sabi sa report ng Westmincom sa atin,” Teodoro said.
He said aircraft and sea vessels are now scouring the site where the ship sunk for any passengers who might still be stranded in the water.
“Ang importante ngayon ay ma-process na nung mga names ng mga na-rescue para ma-ere na atin at hindi na mag-alala nung mga relatives nila,” Teodoro added.
Superferry 9 Sinks off Zamboanga Philippines
Abandon ship
The Iloilo-bound SuperFerry 9 left General Santos City at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
The Superferry 9 issued a distress signal early Sunday as it tilted in heavy seas, authorities said. Around 2 .m., the ship’s captain, Jose Yap, told the passengers to abandon ship as a precautionary measure after the vessel tilted to the right.
Alvin Desta, one of the passengers and an employee of Star Cinema, called dzMM and said many of the passengers were roused from their sleep after they felt the ship tilt.
The Star Cinema crew on board the ship also included its art department staff. Tess Fuentes, operations director of Star Cinema, said the crew came from a shooting in General Santos City. The Star Cinema crew brought with them equipment, vehicles and costumes.
At 3 a.m., Fuentes said she received a call saying that all of the passengers had already been given life jackets.
The ship tilted around 35 degrees and not 45 degrees as earlier reported by a passenger. Authorities disclosed that some people “had jumped into the water in panic” as the ship was listing, the Agence-France Presse reported.
Hours later, authorities announced that SuperFerry 9 has already sunk in the vicinity of Batarompon Pt., West of Zamboanga Peninsula.
Utulam noted that the ship was 14 nautical miles away from Bangga Point in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte and 50 nautical miles away (roughly five hours) from Zamboanga City when the incident occurred.
Cause unknown
According to Utulam, some SuperFerry 9 passengers said they did not hear any explosion inside the ship. It just tilted all of a sudden.
Supan noted that he does not know why the ship tilted, adding that an investigation will be conducted thereafter.
PCG commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said in an interview with dzMM that the weather was good when the ship left General Santos City. He declined to speculate what caused the ship to tilt.
Tropical storm Labuyo (international code name: Dujuan) has heightened the seasonal southwest monsoon winds, bringing rough weather across the country, according to the weather bureau PAGASA.
Deadly accidents are common especially during the typhoon season in the middle of the year.
Ferries, from large steel-hulled ones such as the Superferry 9 to small wooden dugouts with bamboo outriggers, form the backbone of mass transport in the archipelagic nation of 92 million people.
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Written by: ikogsakanding [ 1505 Posts ] (Author Profile)
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all we have to do now is to pray that missing peoples can still be counted to the numbers of survival as well as we need topray for the normal healing for the minds of each passengers for they have encountered a very tragic situation that might cause trauma…
uu nga…. lets pray…..
Let's pray for all the passengers of Super Ferry 9….
Naku… After 3 years of having engine trouble near Iloilo coast, ngayon lumubog na talaga… kawawa naman mga relatives ng mga biktima…