Bodies of 3 more boat passengers found in Basilan seasThe remains of the four-month pregnant Dernalyn Muarip and her daughter Sharfa were immediately transported to Jolo, Sulu by personnel of the Sulu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management for proper burial. COTABATO CITY — Three more passengers, including a prominent member of a large non-government organization, of the M/V Trisha Kirsten 3, which sank in the territorial seas of Basilan, were found by rescuers on Saturday, January 31. Nano, who as mayor also serves as chairperson of the multisectoral Hadji Muhtamad Municipal Peace and Order Council, reported that the recovery of the bodies of the Muarips and Abtong on Saturday brought the death toll in the sea mishap to 40. Employees of the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and local executives in Hadji Muhtamad, just two miles from where the M/V Trisha Kirsten overturned and sank, told reporters on Sunday that the bodies of the Muarips and Abtong were immediately transported to Zamboanga City by personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard. The remains of the Muarips were later shipped to Sulu, according to Basilan provincial officials.

Source: Philippine Star February 01, 2026 13:43 UTC