Divers find only bodies under toppled ferry in Philippines

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Associated Press Posted: Jun 25, 2008 at 2240 hrs IST

Manila, June 24 Divers wriggled into a capsised ferry Tuesday and found only bodies — including that of a crewman still clutching a radio— three days after some 850 people went down with the vessel during a powerful typhoon, officials said.

Hundreds of people were feared trapped when the ship suddenly tilted and went belly up Saturday at the height of the powerful storm that left dozens of people dead in flooded communities in the central Philippines.

Philippines Navy spokesman Lt Col Edgard Arevalo indicated it was unlikely there were survivors from the ferry. He said the ship’s interior was too dark to determine how many bodies were there and lighting was being brought in.

“Most of the bodies were floating inside. They were trapped when the seven-story ship suddenly tilted and capsised,” he told dzBB radio.

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Arevalo said it was possible some passengers could have survived initially, but the roiling seas from Typhoon Fengshen had kept rescuers at bay too long and suffocation may have claimed some lives. He said some of the bodies had life vests but many passengers apparently hesitated to jump into the “turbulent waters” before the ship capsized because “it happened too sudden.” Survivors said the ship listed and went down in a half-hour or less.

Coast guard chief Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said the divers had broken windows and used every other gap they could find to slip inside the 23,824-ton Princess of Stars, which has only one end jutting from the water off Sibuyan island.

Officials initially reported 747 passengers and crew were aboard the ferry, but said Monday that it was carrying about 100 more.

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Divers find only bodies under toppled ferry in Philippines

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