MANILA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The confirmed death toll from the sinking of a passenger ferry off Basilan province in the southern Philippines has risen to 62 after divers recovered more bodies from the wreck, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday.
In a report, the PCG said search and rescue efforts are ongoing, while 17 passengers remain missing.
The ill-fated vessel, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, sank on Jan. 26 while en route from Zamboanga city to Jolo in Sulu. Technical divers have been conducting challenging deep-water retrieval operations, hampered by limited visibility and strong currents.
At least 293 people survived the incident, the PCG said, after being rescued by responding vessels and local fishermen in the immediate aftermath of the sinking.
The cause of the disaster remains under investigation.
The tragedy is among the deadliest maritime incidents in the southern Philippines in recent years, underscoring ongoing concerns about the safety of sea travel in an archipelago heavily reliant on ferries for inter-island transport. ■