Newsbreak: (Update) 2 still missing from SuperFerry tragedy; probe set

09/07/2009 08:37 AM

With only two still missing from Sunday's SuperFerry 9 tragedy off Zamboanga, the Philippine Coast Guard will soon shift its efforts from search-and-rescue to investigation of the accident.Philippine Coast Guard’s 5 a.m. update shows that the death toll remained at nine, while 966 passengers and crew have been rescued."Of the 968 reported number of persons on board MV SuperFerry at the time of the incident, and with a total of 966 rescued/recovered survivors and fatalities, only two persons remain unaccounted to date," it said.The Coast Guard said that of the nine fatalities, three were initially identified as James Calero, 2; Carina Ampere, 23; and Fernando Estrada, 45.At least three males and three females remained unidentified.On the other hand, the Coast Guard has listed the names of the survivors and casualties. The list can be downloaded from its Web site. Meanwhile, Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said they would start soon the investigation into the incident.He said the Board of Marine Inquiry would look into the cause of the sinking of SuperFerry 9."Titingnan natin kung sakaling nagkaroon ng pagpatid ng tali o masyadong mabigat ang cargo. Lahat yan titingnan ng Board of Marine Inquiry (We will look into the possible causes, including too much cargo or the cargo getting untied and disrupting the ship's balance. The Board of Marine Inquiry will look into all those angles)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. - GMANews.TV