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Thursday, March 04, 2004
3 more bodies retrieved from Superferry 14
MANILA -- Search and rescue teams retrieved three decomposing bodies Wednesday from the hulk of the burnt-out Superferry 14 and said more corpses could still be trapped underwater.
Coastguard frogmen scoured the cabins of the half-submerged Superferry 14 Wednesday as investigators probed claims by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas that one of its suicide bombers set off the blaze.
Coastguard commander Vice Admiral Arturo Gosingan said they have recovered three bodies--two females, one male--which they can't identify yet.
The discovery brought the total of confirmed deaths to four, while 131 people were still missing, Gosingan said, although it is believed many may have been rescued by passing vessels and had not yet reported in to the authorities.
Salvage crews have searched nearly all of the wreck, but "one-third of the submerged portion of the vessel is covered in debris," Gosingan said.
He added there was a possibility that more bodies are buried under the debris.
Grieving relatives of those still missing were taken to the site Wednesday as search teams gathered clues and sifted through the remains of the ship.
Edward Layco showed photographers a picture of his mother, Leonor, and offered a reward of 100,000 pesos for anyone who can find her body.
He appealed to the coastguard to give relatives more information, including video footage of the interior of the ruined vessel.
The 10,192-ton inter-island ferry was sailing out of Manila Bay for Bacolod City Friday when an explosion triggered a blaze. It was carrying 899 passengers and crew at the time.
Check bomb blast
A senior maritime official said Wednesday authorities should look into allegations that a terrorist bomb may have caused the explosion.
Oscar Sevilla, head of the government's Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), which initially investigated the blaze, said he could not rule out a bomb explosion.
Shortly after the tragedy, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim rebel group, claimed one of their members, identified as Arnulfo Alvarado, had planted a device.
Interviews with survivors showed there had been a powerful blast that caused the fire, Sevilla said. Ship personnel had told him the ferry was not carrying any explosive material.
Asked if he believed a bomb was behind the blast, Sevilla said, "I am not completely ruling that out. I think that is one of the things they (the investigators) have to look into."
"There are some issues which really left some doubt," Sevilla remarked, although he conceded that experts had still to find physical evidence of a bomb.
He said he had halted his investigation after a formal inter-agency committee was set up by the government to avoid duplication.
Stop terror rumors
Malacaņang, on the other hand, said it's time to put an end to speculations and rumors and simply await the results of investigations on the fire that hit Superferry 14.
"Our foremost task is to search for the missing and we must devote our full energies to the task. Let us not dwell on untoward rumors and scenarios and wait instead for the official report of the investigation," Bunye said.
Deputy Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo, for his part, said two vessels carrying both officials and some relatives of those missing are scouring areas passed by the vessel.
He added that "wrecking equipment" have been placed on board the ill-fated ship to search through the debris for the missing persons.
Saludo also dismissed as unfair the latest travel advisory issued by the United Kingdom against the Philippines, following reports that the Superferry accident was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf group.
A certain Abu Sulayman, claiming to be the spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf, came out on radio Sunday claiming responsibility for the accident. The military has dismissed the claim, adding that the Abu Sayyaf merely wants to "ride on the issue" to show that they are still a force to reckon with.
Saludo said the incident was limited to a particular area and it is still safe in most parts of the country.
He added that there is still no evidence proving that the accident was a terrorist act and that the UK government should be prepared to modify, if not, lift the advisory when the investigation results are released. JMR/AFP
(March 4, 2004 issue)
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