Hundreds of passengers feared dead in Philippines typhoon

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-23-2008 11:07

More than 800 people are missing after a passenger ship in the Philippines capsized during a typhoon. Six people have so far been confirmed dead and ten others are known to have survived the disaster.

On land, Typhoon Fengshen has killed over 200 people and left a trail of destruction across the country.

A relative of a ferry passenger cries as she  awaits the latest news inside the office of  Sulpicio Lines in the port area of Cebu city,  central Philippines June 22, 2008.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

More than 840 people were on board the ferry. Almost all of them are missing. The vessel's owner, Sulpicio Lines, said it lost contact with the ferry while it was en route to Cebu from Manila at noon on Saturday.

The company's spokesperson said a large number of survivors might have reached a nearby island.

A janitor on the ship estimated about 100 people could have survived, but the others were trapped inside.

The coast guard who finally reached the area didn't find any life signs.

Philippine coastguard spokesman LT commander Armand Balilo said, "But at the moment, there's no indication or any signs of any survivors or cadavers in the area. But they will continue the search and rescue operation. They have been the vessel already, and they're continuing the search and rescue operation."

Typhoon Fengshen has killed at least 229 people in central and southern Philippines,including 101 in Iloilo province, where floodwaters submerged entire communities. More than 20,000 people were being housed in evacuation centers.

Tens of thousands of people in the province remain marooned on the roofs of their submerged houses.

After battering Manila on Sunday, Fengshen was expected to exit the north of the country by Monday en route to Taiwan, where it could make landfall in the next few days.

Editor:Zhang Ning