Ferry disaster leaves at least 18 people dead
By CNN, January 26, 2026At least 18 people have been killed and hundreds rescued after a ferry carrying more than 350 passengers and crew sank early Monday near an island in the southern Philippines, officials said.
The cargo and passenger ferry encountered apparent technical problems shortly after midnight before sinking near Baluk-baluk Island in Basilan province. Coast guard and naval vessels, supported by aircraft and local fishing boats, continued searching for those still missing.
The steel-hulled vessel suddenly tilted to one side and began taking on water, throwing passengers into the sea in darkness, according to survivors.
“My wife lost hold of our baby and all of us got separated at sea,” survivor Mohamad Khan told a volunteer rescuer, Gamar Alih, in a video later posted on Facebook. Khan said he and his wife were rescued, but their six-month-old baby drowned. His wife was seen weeping beside him as he recounted the ordeal.
The ferry, identified as the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, was travelling in good weather from Zamboanga city to Jolo island in Sulu province. It was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it sank about one nautical mile from Baluk-baluk village, according to coast guard Commander Romel Dua.
“There was a coast guard safety officer on board and he was the first to alert us to deploy rescue vessels,” Dua said, adding that both safety marshals survived.
Rescuers saved at least 316 passengers and crew members, while retrieval teams recovered 18 bodies. Search and rescue operations continued for about two dozen people believed to be missing, using coast guard and navy ships, a surveillance plane, an air force Black Hawk helicopter and fishing boats.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear and an investigation has been launched. Dua said the ferry had been cleared for travel before departure and there were no initial signs of overloading.
Authorities are also examining reports that 15 passengers listed on the ship’s manifest did not board at the last minute and refunded their fares. If confirmed, the number of missing would be lower.
Alih, a village councillor from Zamboanga city, said he volunteered in the rescue effort because several relatives were aboard the ferry. All of them survived.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman said several survivors and two bodies were brought to Isabela city, the provincial capital. “I’m receiving 37 people here at the pier. Unfortunately, two are dead,” he said by phone.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago prone to storms and plagued by ageing vessels, overcrowding and inconsistent enforcement of safety regulations, particularly in remote areas.
In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.