At least 38 killed in Philippines ferry disaster

Manila, July 3: At least 38 people were killed when a ferry carrying 189 people on board capsized off the coast of Leyte in the central Philippines.

According to report, 173 passengers and 16 crew members were on board on Kim Nirvana at the time of accident just outside the port of Ormoc, CNN reported on Thursday.

The ferry was heading for the central islands of Camotes, in Cebu province, to the south-west of Leyte. The cause of the sinking is not yet known.

Divers will search waters on Friday for 15 people still missing.

Search and rescue operations continued through the night, with coast guard personnel reinforced by a Philippine navy ship and two air force planes.

Cause of the disaster is yet to be known.

According to initial reports, human error is suspected to be cause of the disaster.

Scores, sometimes hundreds, of people die each year from ferry accidents in the Philippines as many people rely on ferry services to get around its thousands of islands.

Philippines an archipelago of 7,100 islands known for poor record for maritime safety.

OneIndia News