Basilan: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced it has completed a comprehensive underwater search of the passenger ferry MV Trisha Kerstin 3, which sank off Basilan province on January 26, resulting in at least 65 fatalities.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the PCG stated that the 27-day-long high-risk technical deep-water diving operations near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan led to the recovery of 22 bodies from the wreck. This brings the confirmed death toll to 65, while 14 passengers remain missing. The disaster saw at least 293 individuals survive the ordeal.

Coast Guard divers encountered challenges such as strong underwater currents, near-zero visibility due to heavy siltation, submerged hazards, and structural instability during their search efforts, as detailed by Commodore Rejard Marfe, commander of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao. The divers systematically examined various parts of the ship, including Deck A, Deck B, the car deck, and the engine room. Despite oil contamination and scattered debris further reducing visibility, a thorough search of the engine room was undertaken.

While the entire ferry has now been searched, divers are scheduled to continue operations until Thursday. These additional efforts involve re-swiping procedures to ensure no area is overlooked and to offer closure to the families of the missing victims. All diving operations have been documented through underwater video recordings to aid the ongoing investigation into the vessel's sinking.

The tragedy is among the deadliest maritime incidents in the Philippines in recent years, prompting renewed concerns over the safety of sea travel in the archipelago, where ferries are a primary mode of inter-island transport.