Six bodies have now been recovered in the ongoing search for passengers and crew of the motorbanca MBCA Amejara, according to the Philippine Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao.
Four of the victims have been identified by personal belongings and post-mortem investigations carried out at a mortuary in Davao City by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation.
Some media reports have cited a higher figure of seven bodies recovered, although Coast Guard briefings indicate this is a discrepancy based on an aerial sighting of a body that had already been accounted for during the surface search.
MBCA Amejara capsized and sank in high seas on the morning of 19 January in the Gulf of Davao, in the eastern Philippines. So far, just one person, identified as Christopher Bulig, a member of the crew, has been found alive.
In an interview with the Manila Bulletin, Coast Guard spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said that there is hope that more of the nine missing tourists and crew will be found, as a photograph sent by one of the passengers in the immediate aftermath of the capsizing showed many of the survivors were wearing flotation devices.
‘There was a picture that was seen and sent by one of the passengers to their spouse,’ said Cayabyab. ‘[PCG was] able to obtain that photo, and almost everyone in the picture was wearing a life jacket.’
Commodore Philipps Soria, commander of the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao, said the bodies so far recovered were found in waters off Sarangani, on the southern tip of Davao Occidental, close to the maritime boundary with Indonesia
Search operations in the region remain ongoing, and the area has been expanded following the discovery of debris linked to the missing vessel, including a life ring marked with the name Amejara.
‘Tomorrow, we will [expand the search area] with the assets of the Philippine Navy, including two ships,’ Soria said in a press briefing for local reporters.
‘Assisting in aerial surveillance is a Philippine Navy aircraft, while the Coast Guard has four vessels deployed for search and rescue operations and one aircraft for aerial search.’
‘The Philippines Air Force (PAF) has dedicated two Black Hawk helicopters and one Cessna Caravan that are also helping in the aerial search,’ Soria said.
Despite the length of the operation, which will be entering its ninth day since Amejara disappeared, the Coast Guard has said it remains focused on locating possible survivors.
‘We are still very hopeful we will find survivors,’ said Soria. ‘We are not losing hope. The human spirit to survive is very high. Our search and rescue operations will continue until they are no longer practicable.’
