At least two people were reported dead while 22 more were rescued after a passenger cargo vessel sank off Palawan shortly before midnight Tuesday.
The Philippine Coast Guard cited sketchy initial reports the vessel, initially identified as the MV Jociel 2, sank off El Nido in Palawan, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported.
While the Coast Guard did not name the fatalities, it described them as a child and an elderly person.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the area for survivors of the incident. The Coast Guard said initial reports indicated the vessel had 34 passengers and 16 crew members.
The Philippine Navy has also been asked to help in the search and rescue operations, the report said.
As of 6 a.m., the dzBB report cited information reaching the Coast Guard indicating two passengers had died and 22 had been rescued.
An initial investigation showed the vessel left Liminangcong Port in Palawan and was heading to El Nido when it encountered big waves between 11 p.m. and midnight Tuesday.
One of the passengers in the ship managed to contact the local Coast Guard, which sent ships to conduct search-and-rescue operations.
At the Coast Guard headquarters in Manila, spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said ships in the area had been instructed to help search for survivors.
Source: GMA News