ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Mindanao devider Seventh-month-old baby among fatalities in Basilan ship sinking

Seventh-month-old baby among fatalities in Basilan ship sinking

Published Jan 26, 2026 03:18 pm
RESCUED passengers from M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry that sank, on a boat in the sea of Isabela City, Basilan province, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kagawad Gamar ‘Gams’ Alih via AP)
RESCUED passengers from M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry that sank, on a boat in the sea of Isabela City, Basilan province, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kagawad Gamar ‘Gams’ Alih via AP)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A seven-month-old baby and 16 other persons died in the ill-fated voyage of the M/V Trisha Kirsten 3 in the sea of Basilan on Monday, Jan. 26.
The powerful image of the deceased infant became a compelling symbol of grief amid growing concerns of safety hazards in sea travel.
The baby was identified as Fatima Ayesha Ambutong, daughter of Busbus, Jolo town, Sulu province natives and residents of Lower Calarian here.
She was separated from her father while he tried to survive the onslaught of waves after the vessel sank.
Her father, Mohammad Khan, said shouts were heard that water was coming into the boat. The lights immediately went off, chaos erupted onboard, and the vessel reportedly sank in a matter of minutes.
A seventh-month old baby was among the fatalities in the Basilan sea tragedy on Monday. (FB)
A seventh-month old baby was among the fatalities in the Basilan sea tragedy on Monday. (FB)
A Philippine Army soldier who requested anonymity said he was at the back of the vessel when he noticed the boat listing and shouts were heard that water was coming in.
He tried to wait for further instructions, but heard loud banging sounds at the lower deck and chaos erupting on board. When he noticed the boat totally tilting, he decided to jump.
He said there was no time to look for life vests or life boats as the whole incident transpired in mere minutes.
The family of a vessel crew member, Cadet Kyle Punsalang, continue to appeal for his whereabouts as he remains missing. Punsalang is among 24 missing after the vessel sank.
Meanwhile, Aleson Shipping Lines Inc. confirmed that their passenger vessel – the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 – sank in Basilan.
The company said that they immediately activated quick response measures and deployed available vessels once they received the distress call.
They also said they are working in close coordination with the PCG in the conduct of search and rescue operations.
People can call 09177173674, 09399254949, and 09688511691 for concerns and inquiries about the incident.
“Our thoughts and hearts are with everyone who was on board and with their families during this extremely difficult time,” Alson Shipping said.
The Philippine Coast Guard continues to conduct rescue operations.

Related Tags

Basilan Ship sinking
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.