MANILA: A ferry with 251 people on board capsized in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday with reports of an unspecified number of casualties, the coastguard said. “We have heard (there were) casualties, but we’re still validating,” he said, adding that rescue helicopters and sea vessels were heading to the site. He said the ferry left Real as the southern section of the archipelago braced for Tropical Storm Tembin, which is forecast to hit land early Friday. However, Balilo said the vessel was allowed to sail as there were no storm warnings at or around Real or Polillo, east of the main island of Luzon. The latest accident occurred 30 years to the day after another Philippine ferry, the Dona Paz, collided with an oil tanker, claiming more than 4,000 lives in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

Source: New Strait Times December 21, 2017 08:15 UTC