| Philippine Coast Guard divers conduct search and rescue operation for the sunken passenger ferry, MV Princess of the Stars, off Sibuyan Island on Wednesday. However, officials suspended Friday the search and retrieval operations following revelations that 10 metric tons of pesticide were inside the ferry. (AP Photo) |
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MANILA (Updated 1:30 p.m.) -- Officials suspended Friday the retrieval of bodies trapped inside the sunken mv Princess of the Stars due to fears that divers would be exposed to toxic chemicals in the cargo hold.
Vice President Noli de Castro told reporters that 22,000 pounds (10,000 kilograms) of the pesticide endosulfan, intended for pineapple plantations of Del Monte Philippines, went down with the ferry when it capsized at the height of typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen) last Saturday in the central Philippines.
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