TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A ferry carrying 173 passengers capsized Thursday as it left a central Philippine port in choppy waters, leaving at least 36 people dead and 19 others missing, coast guard officials said.
They said at least 118 passengers of the M/B Kim Nirvana were rescued by nearby fishing boats and coast guard personnel or swam to safety off Ormoc city on Leyte Island.
Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the ferry was leaving Ormoc for the Camotes Islands, about 44 kilometers (27 miles) to the south, when it was lashed by strong waves.
Survivors told The Associated Press by cellphone that the bow of the ferry suddenly rose from the water before the vessel flipped over on one side and began to sink.
AP