AT LEAST 18 died after an inter-island vessel with at least 359 persons on board, sank off Basilan Island in the southernmost tip of the country, according to a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) report.
Initial information relayed by the PCG showed 317 rescued, amid a sustained search and rescue operation for 28 unaccounted individuals.
Authorities claimed that the M/V Trisha Kerstin-3 was not overloaded and the sea was “manageable” when tragedy occurred. The ferry sailed from Zamboanga City to Jolo with 332 passengers and 27 crew members, the Coast Guard in southwestern Mindanao reported.
The government is in the process of investigating what caused the M/V Trisha Kersti-3 to sink. Among the factors being looked upon by the authorities is the weather condition at the time of the incident.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman, in his Facebook account, pledged to continue efforts to find the missing passengers as relatives and friends appealed for help.
FREQUENT SEA MISHAPS
Tragedies on Philippine seas, known for its aging fleet and infrastructure, often happen during storms or due to collisions.
In June 2008, more than 800 people died after M/V Princess of the Stars capsized as typhoon Fengshen lashed the central Philippines. In 1987, M/V Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker, killing more than 4,000 people in what’s regarded as the world’s worst peacetime shipping tragedy, BBC reported.
Then in 2023, over 25 people died when a vessel capsized near Manila due to strong winds.
VICIOUS AND ROUGH
“Based on the account of some survivors, the waters in the area were rough at the time,” PCG spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab said in a televised interview.
A Facebook video of Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman showed survivors wrapped in blankets as they disembarked from a rescue boat.
Rescuers have been overwhelmed by the influx of survivors, Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez told a foreign press — “The challenge really is the number of patients that are coming in. We are short-staffed at the moment,” Perez was quoted by Bloomberg.
Sea mishaps in the Philippines are usually caused by poor maintenance and overloading but many Filipinos still travel by ferry because it’s way cheaper than airfare.
PREVIOUS TRAGEDIES
In May 2023, 28 people died after a passenger ferry caught fire. The fatalities included three children, among them a six-month-old baby.
The year before that, at least seven people died after a fire in a high-speed ferry carrying 134 people.
In June 2025, a boat sank during the Lupi Festival fluvial parade in In Lumban, Laguna. The boat had 40 people on board as it submerged into the water and gradually sank.
A video captured by the police showed some of the passengers swimming to the riverbank while others hung on the partially submerged boat, the Manila Bulletin reported.
The Lumban Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and the Philippine Coast Guard rescued all passengers. No serious injuries were reported and there were no children on board the boat.
The fluvial procession is part of the traditional Paligong Poon during the Feast of San Sebastian Martir.