SAN FERNANDO-Difficulties in removing bodies floating inside a ferry that capsized last weekend have forced divers to take in heavy weights to help maneuver them out of the vessel, officials said yesterday.
The bodies have floated to the top of the submerged cabins and compartments on the seven-story ferry, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Luis Tuason said. Divers are having trouble pulling the bloated bodies through narrow, debris-filled corridors to exit the vessel.
Poor visibility and strong undercurrents have also hampered some 100 US and Filipino divers, who have spotted but been unable to reach dozens of bodies.
“It will take a month to retrieve all the bodies,” Coast Guard spokesman Jansen Benjamin.
“Divers have sighted many bodies but have not been able to retrieve them as the entrances and exits are blocked. Some of the cadavers are tangled in wires.”
US and Philippine surveillance planes have reported seeing more bodies floating in the sea but the navy and coast guard, which operate limited and decrepit fleets, have been unable to pick them up.
It remains unclear how many of the 850-plus passengers and crew were trapped when the 23,824-ton Princess of the Stars suddenly listed and went belly up in a half hour or less during a powerful typhoon Saturday, leaving just the tip of the bow jutting from the water.
Only 56 survivors have been found, while 124 bodies have been recovered that washed ashore or were floating in the sea, some in life jackets, coast guard Commander Danilo Avila said.
The aftermath of Typhoon Frank kept rescue workers away until calm conditions Tuesday allowed divers to slither inside the ferry for the first time.
More than 100 divers, including eight US military frogmen, were at the site, some working through the night Wednesday in the hope of that some passengers could have found an air pocket and survived.
Tuason said Coast Guard rescuers were instructed yesterday to take photos of the decomposing bodies to help in the identification process. He initially indicated the
bodies were being photographed inside the ferry, but later said the process had not yet begun.
The Coast Guard later rescinded the order on instructions from higher-level officials, apparently due to sensitivities over the issue.
The ferry disaster could raise Typhoon Frank’s death toll to more than 1,500, with 394 people confirmed dead from flooding and landslides and more than 330 missing.
Relatives have questioned why the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching. President Arroyo has ordered a thorough probe and said she hoped to find ways to avoid similar accidents in the future.
Sulpicio Lines said the ferry sailed with Coast Guard approval. Debate also began anew on safe-sailing rules in a country prone to storms – Frank was the seventh typhoon this year - and dependent on ferries to get around the sprawling archipelago. (AP/With AFP)
