Ferry collision death toll hits 50

CEBU, Philippines – As the MV Thomas Aquinas cruised toward Cebu city in the central Philippines, navy marshal Richard Pestillos prepared for a brief stop while some passengers watched a band play and others soaked in the night breeze on the deck.

Then the scene turned chaotic when the ferry, with 870 passengers and crew, collided with a cargo ship late Friday, ripping a hole in the ferry’s hull, knocking out its power and causing it to list before rapidly sinking as people screamed, according to Pestillos and other witnesses.

“The sea was very calm and we could already see the lights at the pier,” Pestillos told the Associated Press on Sunday by telephone.

“Then very suddenly … there was a loud bang, then the grating sound of metal being peeled off,” he said.

Coast guard officials said at least 50 died and 70 were missing in the deadly collision 350 miles south of Manila. Hampered by a thunderstorm and strong currents, divers temporarily halted their search today.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said 750 passengers and crew of the Thomas Aquinas were rescued. There were no signs of additional survivors late Sunday, though Davide told reporters he had not given up hope.