Ferry carrying over 350 people sinks in Philippines, killing at least 15 | Aviation News
Coastguard says at least 316 people had so far been rescued while 28 others remain missing.
Published On 26 Jan 2026
A ferry carrying more than 350 people has capsized off the southern Philippine province of Basilan, killing at least 15 people, according to officials.
The accident occurred after midnight on Monday as the passenger vessel, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, was en route to Jolo Island in southern Sulu after departing the port city of Zamboanga.
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The vessel, which had 332 passengers on record and 27 crew, issued a distress signal at 1:50am on Monday (1750 GMT Sunday), about over four hours after it departed Zamboanga City, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The ferry sank in good weather about a nautical mile (nearly 2 kilometers) from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province, where many of the survivors were initially taken, the PCG said.
Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua of Southern Mindanao District told the AFP news agency that at least 316 people had so far been rescued, with 15 confirmed dead and 28 still unaccounted for.
“A coast guard aircraft is also on the way to help the operation. The Navy and Air Force also sent their assets,” Dua told AFP.
Emergency responders in Basilan said those who were rescued and needed medical attention were brought to a hospital in the capital city of Isabela.
“The challenge here really is the number of patients that are coming in. We are short-staffed at the moment,” Ronalyn Perez, a medic, said.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman posted clips from the scene at Isabela port in Mindanao on Facebook, showing survivors being ushered off boats, some wrapped in thermal blankets, and others being carried on stretchers.
The PCG said rescue efforts were still ongoing.
Dua, the coastguard commander in Mindanao, said the cause of the ferry sinking was not immediately clear and that there would be an investigation. He added that the coastguard cleared the ferry before it left the Zamboanga port, and there was no sign of overloading.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
On Friday, at least two Filipino sailors were reported killed, and 15 others were rescued after a Singapore-flagged general cargo vessel en route to China from the southern island of Mindanao sank. Four other sailors remain missing.
Last Monday, a private vessel also sank off the Davao region in Mindanao, leaving at least six dead and nine others missing.
In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.
