More than 200 missing, 28 dead in Philippine ferry sinking

Rescuers were searching Saturday for more than 200 people missing after a ferry sank in the central Philippines, killing at least 28 people, the coast guard said. The MV St Thomas Aquinas collided with a cargo ship off the port of Talisay City in Cebu province, 580 kilometres south of Manila, on Friday evening, forcing many people on board to jump off the ship, dpa reported. Emergency workers rescued 629 survivors from the sea overnight, said coast guard vice commandant Rear Admiral Luis Tuason Jr. Divers recovered at least one body from the sunken ferry, said navy operations officer Commander Noel Escalona. Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo said authorities were checking discrepancies in the number of people on board the ship, with 2Go Group insisting that only 841 were on the ferry. Sea travel is a key mode of transportation in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. Accidents are common due to poor safety standards and overloading