A ferry with 189 people on board has overturned in rough waters in the central Philippines, with the coastguard confirming that at least 34 people have been killed. Alazeera reports:
The Kim Nirvana was heading from the central city of Ormoc to the islands of Camotes east of Cebu when it capsized, the Philippine coastguard in Manila said. Captain Pedro Tinampay of the coastguard told local media that a total of 189 people, including 173 passengers and 16 crew, were aboard when the boat capsized.Tinampay said there had been 34 fatalities and 30 people were still missing. The other survivors had been accounted for and dozens were treated in hospital. Search and rescue operations are continuing.Al Jazeera has learned that the boat’s captain has been taken into custody. Poorly maintained, loosely regulated ferries are the backbone of maritime travel in the Philippines.Last September, at least three people died and more than 100 people were rescued after a ferry sank in waters off Panaon Island in the Southern Leyte province after it was hit by huge waves during bad weather. In August 2013, at least 114 people died after the MV St Thomas Aquinas sank after colliding with a cargo ship as it headed to Cebu.
