A passenger ferry capsized off Sulu province, Philippines, killing 18 people. Rescue efforts continue for 10 missing passengers amid ongoing investigation.
MANILA: Search and rescue operations continued on Tuesday for 10 missing people after a passenger ferry capsized off a southern Philippine province.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed the death toll had risen to 18.
Captain Noemie Cayabyab, a PCG spokesperson, said the total number of people on board was revised to 344, down from an initial figure of 359.
She explained the revision followed verification that 15 people listed on the manifest did not board the vessel.
The number of rescued passengers remained at 316, Cayabyab told reporters.
The accident occurred at 1:50 a.m. on Monday while the passenger vessel, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, was en route to Jolo in Sulu province.
It had departed from Zamboanga.
The PCG said the vessel had an authorised passenger capacity of 352.
The coast guard said it was not yet prepared to conclude why the ferry sank, with the investigation still ongoing.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands.
The nation has a patchy maritime safety record.
