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At least 36 die in Philippine ferry sinking, 127 survive

At least 26 people were still missing after the wooden-hulled Kim Nirvana tipped over in unexplained circumstances about half an hour after setting sail from Ormoc city at midday, the coastguard said.

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Survivors said the bow suddenly rose from the water before the vessel flipped over on one side, turning it upside down and trapping passengers underneath.

Coast Guard personnel were still locating the skipper of the boat to learn more about what happened.

The ship, which had 173 passengers and 16 crew on its manifest, overturned just 30 minutes after leaving the port after it encountered big waves, Mr. Tolibao said.

Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo in the capital, Manila, said 127 have been rescued so far.

Naij.com gathered that rescue operations were ongoing, as navy divers are still in the water, seeking survivors and the lost.

Authorities have said it is unlikely any more survivors will be found. Rescuers are concentrating their search on the capsized boat in hopes that the missing are still inside the boat.

“It rolled while attempting to turn around swiftly”.

The country’s coast guard confirmed the disaster and said rescue boats have been picking up dozens of survivors clinging to the vessel’s overturned hull.

Tomaro, who has been a surgeon at the hospital for 20 years, said it was the first time anything like this had occurred.

The ferry capsized around a kilometre from the port in the city of Ormoc.

Forecasters said winds in the Ormoc region were not strong enough to whip up risky waves.

Ormoc and the rest of Leyte island was ravaged by super-typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

The tragedy was also the worst peacetime naval disaster in the world.

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Ferries are a common mode of transport between more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines.

At least 33 dead after Philippine ferry carrying 170 people capsizes in rough