PCG locates sunken MV Trisha Kerstin 3
Death toll climbs to 43
COAST Guard men searching for MV Trisha Kerstin 3. (FB)
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday confirmed the location of the sunken MV Trisha Kerstin 3 during the dive operations in the sea of Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan.
In a Facebook post, PCG Technical Diving Group supervisor Commander Cheska Jamorol said the vessel is lying in an east-to-west orientation relative to Baluk-Baluk Island.
The joint search and rescue team, composed of government agencies, local government units, and fisherfolk volunteers, also recovered one cadaver for identification and proper disposition.
“With this development, the fatality count has increased to 43, while the number of survivors remains at 316,” the PCG said.
The passenger ferry sank in the sea of Basilan at around 1 a.m. on Jan. 26.
The ferry’s owner, Aleson Shipping Lines, was eventually grounded after the incident. (PNA)