A ferry with more than 350 people on board sank early Monday near an island in the Southern Philippines, killing at least 18 people, officials said.
Rescuers saved hundreds more, while a fleet of Coast Guard and Naval ships searched for those still missing.
Coast Guard guard officials said the cargo and passenger ferry apparently encountered technical problems and sank after midnight.
The steel-hulled vessel abruptly tilted to one side and took on water, hurling people into the sea in the darkness, according to a rescued passenger who lost his 6-month-old baby.
“My wife lost hold of our baby and all of us got separated at sea,” a distraught Mohamad Khan told a volunteer rescuer, Gamar Alih, who posted a video of Khan’s remarks on Facebook.
He said he and his wife, who had been holding their child, were rescued, but the baby drowned. His wife wept by his side as Khan recounted their ordeal.
The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 was sailing in good weather from the port city of Zamboanga to Southern Jolo island in Sulu province with 332 passengers and 27 crew members. It sank about a nautical mile (nearly 2 kilometers) from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province, coast guard Commander Romel Dua told The Associated Press.
