World
15:54, 21-Dec-2017
At least 4 killed after ferry with 251 onboard capsizes off Philippines
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At least four people have been confirmed killed after a ferry with 251 people onboard capsized off the coast of the Philippines on Thursday, according to authorities. At least 175 people have been rescued.
Earlier, the country's ABS-CBN News reported that at least 39 people were dead and around 100 others were missing.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Armand Balilo told reporters that PCG received reports that some passengers drowned but that they had yet to confirm the report.
The accident occurred off the coast of Real, a town roughly 70 kilometers east of the capital Manila, while the vessel was sailing to the island of Polillo in rough weather, Balilo told a news conference.
The ferry left a port in Real around 8:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and reportedly sank an hour later.
It had the capacity to carry 280 people and had not been overloaded, according to Balilo.
He said authorities are looking into the cause of the accident, likely the inclement weather.
Rescue operations are ongoing but have been hampered by bad weather and huge waves caused by a typhoon.
2827km