More than 800 Filipinos perish as ferry capsizes

More than 800 Filipinos have perished in one of the worst maritime disasters in history.

140 kmh winds from Typhoon Fengshen capsized the MV Princess ferry owned by local operator Sulpicio Lines as it made its way from Manila to the centre of the country around noon on Saturday. The ship sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon province. Twenty eight survivors have been found alive. The group made it to a small village in Quezon province in the centre of the archipelago after drifting at sea for more than 24 hours. Initially there were 30 of them but two died. The discovery raises the number of survivors to 32. The Philippine Coast Guard is coming under intense scrutiny for allowing the vessel to depart the capital despite the clear danger presented by Typhoon Fengshen, which had already ripped through the centre of the country on Saturday and was heading north. The president of the nation, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has promised a full inquiry into the disaster, the latest in a series of mammoth ferry tragedies to have hit the archipelago.
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