CEBU, Philippines: At least 24 persons were killed and 217 others missing when a ferry sank after colliding with a cargo ship outside the port of Cebu in the central Philippines, the coast guard said on Saturday.
The coast guard said some 629 people had been rescued, many by fishing boats, with 217 missing.
The 40-year-old ferry carrying 870 passengers and crew members was approaching the resort of Cebu when it collided with the departing cargo ship, the Sulpicio Express 7, at about 9 pm.
“Search and rescue operations by the navy and coast guard are continuing with the help of some commercial vessels,” acting coast guard chief Rear Admiral Luis Tuason told local radio. “The number of missing is still huge.”
