ZAMBOANGA CITY (January 26) – At least 18 people were killed while 317 others were rescued, with a number still missing, after a passenger ferry sank off Basilan early Monday, authorities said.
The roll-on/roll-off vessel M/V Trisha Kirstin 3, operated by Aleson Shipping Lines, went down at around 1 a.m. near Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad town while traveling from Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman said provincial disaster and health teams were immediately mobilized to assist survivors brought to Isabela City port, where medical triage, counseling and passenger accounting were conducted.
“Our priority is to ensure all survivors receive medical attention and that families are properly informed,” Hataman said, adding that coordination with national agencies remains ongoing as search operations continue.
In Sulu, Governor Hadji Abdusakur Tan II expressed concern for passengers bound for Jolo, many of whom were returning home after work or school in Zamboanga City.
“We are closely coordinating with the Coast Guard and Basilan authorities to account for our constituents and provide assistance to affected families,” Tan said in a statement.
At the Isabela City port, anxious relatives gathered throughout the day, scanning lists of survivors and asking rescuers for updates. Some families said they last spoke to loved ones shortly before midnight, unaware the vessel would encounter rough seas.
“We were just waiting for his message that they already arrived in Jolo,” said a woman whose brother remains unaccounted for. “Then we heard the news on the radio.”
Rescue operations were carried out by the Philippine Coast Guard, with support from the Philippine Navy, police units, local government responders, and fishing boats from nearby coastal communities.
An off-duty crew member told Brigada News FM-Zamboanga that crew members distributed life vests as the ferry began to list.
“We rushed to the upper decks and woke up the passengers while giving them life vests,” he said.
The crew member attributed the incident to a snapped harness securing vehicles on board, which may have caused the vessel to lose balance as waves struck the ship.
The tragedy marks the second major maritime incident involving an Aleson Shipping Lines vessel in waters off Basilan, following the fire that killed several passengers aboard M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 in March 2023.
Authorities said casualty figures remain subject to verification as search, rescue, and passenger accounting continue.
