At Least 18 Dead After Ferry Carrying 350 Sinks in the Philippines

Asia Pacific|At Least 15 Dead After Ferry Carrying 350 Sinks in the Philippines

A ferry carrying more than 350 people sank in the southern Philippines early Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead, local officials said. It was not immediately clear how many others were missing.

The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, a cargo and passenger ship, was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it sank shortly before 2 a.m. near the island of Baluk-baluk in Basilan Province, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.

The port management authority of Bangsamoro, an autonomous region that includes a number of islands in the area, said on social media that 15 people had been confirmed dead.

The ferry was sailing from Zamboanga, the country’s third-largest city, to Jolo Island in Sulu Province, a journey of just under 100 miles, the Coast Guard said. It was carrying fewer than the maximum number of passengers allowed, the agency added.

The Philippines is an archipelago made up of over 7,600 islands, most of them uninhabited or sparsely populated, with a total population of over 110 million people.

This is a developing story.