A ferry with more than 350 people onboard sank on Monday morning in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 15 dead and 28 still missing, the country's coast guard said.

The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry, was sailing to southern Jolo island in Sulu province from the port city of Zamboanga with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank, said coast guard officials.

The stricken vessel issued a distress signal around 1.50am local time, a bit over four hours after it departed Zamboanga, the coast guard said in a statement.

At least 316 people had so far been rescued, Romel Dua, a coast guard commander, told reporters, with 15 confirmed dead and 28 still unaccounted for.

Mujiv Hataman, governor of the island province of Basilan near where the ferry capsized, told The Associated Press that passengers and two bodies were brought to Isabela, the provincial capital.

Search and rescue efforts were being done in good weather off Basilan province by the Philippine coast guard and navy, along with a fleet of fishing boats.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2026-01-26 HKT 11:39