Death toll in Iloilo-Guimaras sea tragedy climbs to 31 — PCG

The M/B Jenny Vince, one of three passenger boats that capsized in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait on Saturday, is retrieved on Sunday, August 4, 2019. IAN CRUZ

The death toll from the capsize of three ferries in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait due to bad weather rose to 31 on Sunday as rescuers found more bodies, a coast guard official said.

The motorized, wooden-hulled boats were carrying a total 96 passengers and crew when harsh weather conditions caused the vessels to overturn off the central island of Guimaras and Iloilo provinces on Saturday.

The search continues for three more people still missing, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo said. The rest of the crew and passengers were rescued.

Disaster officials reported 11 deaths on Saturday.

Balilo said a third ferry was not carrying passengers and all of its five crew members survived.

The number of casualties from the coast guard is higher than the death toll being reported by Iloilo City's City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, which was at 27 as of 5:30 p.m.

Scores of people die each year from ferry accidents in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands with a poor record for maritime safety. — Reuters