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A search has been called off for seven missing passengers of a Philippine ferry that caught fire last Wednesday night off Basilan Island in Mindanao, leaving 29 people dead
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M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 owned by Aleson Shipping Lines, with 252 people including 35 crew members, was sailing to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City when the fire broke out
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Aleson assured relatives of the dead passengers and the survivors they will receive reparations and made initial payments of P25,000 for fatalities and P3,000 to the survivors, its lawyer said
A search has been called off for seven missing passengers following a ferry fire off Basilan in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on March 29 that left 29 others dead when no more bodies were found on board, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office called off the search and retrieval operations April 1 when no further bodies were found after the recovery of 18 burnt remains Thursday from the smoldering ship.
“They have not found any cadaver, so they decided to conclude the search and retrieval operation to give way to the other team to inspect the wreckage of the vessel,” PNA quoted Zamboanga City 1st district Rep. Khmer Olaso as saying.
The M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, a passenger-cargo vessel of Aleson Shipping Lines, left Zamboanga City en route to Jolo, Sulu carrying 252 people including 205 passengers, 35 crew members, eight army soldiers and four PCG personnel, the Philippipne Coast Guard (PCG) said.
Survivors told the PCG the blaze started around 10:40pm on March 29 in an air-conditioned cabin while the ship was sailing off Baluk-baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad town in Basilan. The fire raged on until 7:30am on March 30, said the PCG, citing a BFP report.
The M/V Lady Mary Joy 3’s captain, who was among the survivors, issued an abandon-ship order and then ran the ferry aground on Baluk-baluk Island to give remaining passengers a better chance to survive, the Associated Press reported, quoting PCG officials.
A total of 216 people survived, including all the crewmen. The seven missing people, including two soldiers, are still missing after the country’s deadliest sea disaster this year, the PCG said.
Of the 29 dead in the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 fire, 11 who drowned have been identified while 18 who burned beyond recognition still need DNA testing, the PCG said.
Meanwhile, lawyer Hahs Ibrahim, spokesman of Aleson Shipping Lines, assured the victims’ families and the survivors that they will get reparations, whether their names are on the ship’s manifest or not.
Ibrahim said there were only 197 listed passengers while others may have secured their tickets on board.
“As long as the vessel can still accommodate, since it can hold more than 400 passengers, we allow them to secure tickets on board. In that case, there seemed to be a bigger number that was rescued and recovered than what was on the manifest,” Ibrahim said.
Families of the fatalities were given preliminary financial assistance of P25,000 each. Those who survived received P3,000 each.
Meanwhile, the Marine Environmental Protection Unit-BARMM reported no oil spill after inspecting the waters around the disaster area.
The latest coast guard report on March 31 said BRP Tubbataha (MRRV-4401), BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411), and PCG-manned BFAR vessel, MCS 3007, were continuing search and retrieval operations in waters off Baluk-Baluk Island.
The ferry fire occurred just two days before the country’s seaports and airports were placed on heightened alert for expected heavy passenger traffic as Filipinos visit relatives or go on vacation during the Lenten holidays.
