Divers Recover 23 More Bodies From Ferry

Only 56 people survived when the MV Princess of the Stars ferry capsized at the height of a typhoon in June.

Divers recovered at least 23 more decomposing bodies from a ferry that sank with more than 860 people on board four months ago, one of the Philippines' worst maritime disasters, the coast guard commander said on Monday.

Only 56 people survived when the MV Princess of the Stars ferry capsized at the height of a typhoon in June.

Nearly 300 bodies were later plucked from the sea or washed ashore as far as 150 miles from where the ferry sank near central Sibuyan island, the coast guard said.

About 500 people were believed trapped in the sunken ferry. The private company hired to salvage the vessel has promised to locate all the bodies inside the wreck, Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.

"Hopefully, at the rate of a minimum of 20 (bodies) a day, the salvage team expects to complete the recovery in three weeks time," Tamayo told Reuters.

"We said that's the minimum. We are not saying that we'll stop there because we also do not know exactly how many are inside. We have recovered 23 bodies since Sunday."

Recovery operations were delayed after authorities discovered toxic fertilisers on board the ferry. The chemicals and about 250 tonnes of bunker fuel had to be taken out of the ferry first to prevent contamination of the waters around the island.

Tamayo said the skies were clear when the divers entered the economy section of the ferry, where most of the recovered bodies were found.

All recovered bodies would be brought to the central island of Cebu but tissue samples would be sent to Sarajevo for identification through DNA testing, Tamayo said, adding the government "will try its best to identify the bodies in the shortest period of time".

Early this month, divers had pulled out 10 metric tonnes of toxic fertiliser, a tonne of pesticides and about 250 tonnes of bunker fuel from the ferry that ran aground and capsized.

Salvage operations did not begin until August.

The sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars is the country's worst sea accident since the Dona Paz ferry collided with an oil tanker in 1987, killing more than 4,000 people.

Ferries are a popular mode of transport in the Philippine archipelago because fares are cheap, but ageing vessels and overloading commonly cause accidents.