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Divers found bodies floating head up in airpockets inside the sunken seven-storey Philippine passenger ferry, Princess of the Stars.
Navy spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Arevalo, says "there are no signs of life" in the wreckage. Shipping company Sulpicio Lines Inc, owner of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars passenger vessel that capsized off Sibuyan Island over the weekend on Monday released the names of 753 (an updated figure) passengers and 112 crew on board the ship when the incident happened.
A total of 48 people are known to have survived the ferry disaster. At this stage 60 corpses had been found above water. One male foreigner appeared to be among the bodies recovered. More than 100 US and Philippine divers continue to comb the wreckage.
The victims of the ferry disaster in the Philippines as well as those hit by the passage of Cyclone Fengshen were in Pope Benedict XVI's prayers last Sunday.
Speaking to visitors and pilgrims in St Peter's Square after the midday Angelus, the Pope expressed his deep sorrow on learning of the fate of over 700 people, passengers and crew aboard the MV Princess of Stars, which capsized on high sea's last weekend. Many of the dead are young children noted Pope Benedict. Relief workers report that the storm has left hundreds of dead, submerging entire communities and setting off landslides throughout the archipelago.
Queen Elizabeth has sent her condolences to the Filipino people who suffered widely from typhoon 'Frank' over the weekened.
"I have been deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in the Visayas and Luzon regions and on the MV Princess of the Stars. Please accept my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in the devastating typhoon.'
Much is being made of why Princess of the Stars was allowed to sail when Typhoon Signal No.1 was operative. The Philippine Coast Guard said it had advised shipping lines against sailing. The owners said conditions at the time the ship left port (9 pm, Friday) were considered safe.
The owners had knowledge of the strong typhoon threatening the southern Philippines. They knew that sailing on very rough seas and powerful winds with hundreds of passengers and tons of cargo was dangerous. Now the blame game begins. A lawyer for Sulpico, Arthur Lim cited rules issued in 1998 saying that the coast guard had the responsibility of plotting storm routes and issuing these to shipping companies for guidance. New guidelines were issued in 2007, repealing the 1998 guidelines cited by Sulpicio officials. In the new guidelines the ship captain is given the responsibility to decide whether to leave port or not.
Can you believe, Sulpicio officials said they had not received the 2007 guidelines!
Only 48 people have been found alive out of 865 passengers and crew on board. Families continue to flock to the Sulpicio office in Pier 4 and passenger terminals in pier 5, fighting off sleep and hunger just to ask about the status of their loved ones.
The USNS Stockham and a P-3 reconnaissance aircraft were sent to the Philippines to assist in search and rescue efforts to locate the ship passengers.
(Editorial Manila Times)
A big ship sinks during a storm or in pacific weather, hundreds of passengers and crew lose their lives, an investigation starts, the hearing takes an inordinate time, the decision pends, no official report is made and amnesia develops over the case. The shipping line casts off again for more profitable business.
Translation of song (1st verse):
In my fantasy I see a just world,
Where everyone lives in peace and in honesty.
I dream of spirits that are always free,
Like the clouds that fly,
Full of humanity in the depths of the spirit.
Condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
Tags: ferry sunk disaster philippines princess sea typhoon frank fengshen capsized manila cebu sulpicio island romblon
Tags: ferry sunk disaster philippines princess sea typhoon frank fengshen capsized manila cebu sulpicio island romblon
