THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recovered two more bodies on Friday, January 30, as search for missing passengers of the Trisha Kerstin 3 continues in Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan.
With the recovery of two more bodies, the confirmed number of passengers who died in the incident increased to 31.
Commodore Rejard Marfe, commander of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM), said the two bodies were recovered on Pilas Island, Hadji Muhtamad.
Marfe said one was wearing clothing with Aleson branding, while they are still conducting verification procedures on the second remains.
“Our SAR (search and rescue) teams remain on site and are working tirelessly. This is now fifth day of operations since the vessel sank on Monday, January 26,” Marfe said.
“We are committed to locating all those affected and ensuring proper procedures are followed for identification and notification of families,” he added.
M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank on Monday, January 26, some 2.75 nautical miles northeast off Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan while en route to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City.
Meanwhile, the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said that four of the 11 bodies recovered on Thursday were already brought to Sulu.
The PCG brought five of the 11 bodies to Zamboanga City while the other two are still unidentified.
“They were identified by the Scene of Crime Operatives and families,” Nixon Alonzo, Basilan PDRRMO chief, said Friday.
All the recovered bodies are brought to Isabela City for identification procedures.
The Bangsamoro’s Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), through its Basilan provincial office, has deployed a composite team with Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READi) to support the Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) following the sinking of M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 off the waters of Basilan.
The MILG said the team is working closely with the Basilan PDRRMO to strengthen coordination and response efforts, particularly in the dignified handling of fatalities and the proper accounting of missing persons.
The MDM Cluster is tasked with the search, recovery, identification, documentation, and respectful disposition of the dead, as well as the systematic recording, tracing, and verification of missing individuals.
It also provides psychosocial, legal, and administrative support to affected families and ensures accurate, coordinated information-sharing among concerned agencies to uphold human dignity, prevent misinformation, and support an effective humanitarian response. (SunStar Zamboanga)