Eleven more bodies retrieved in Basilan search operations

Eleven floating bodies recovered by local fishermen and volunteers off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan are believed to be passengers of the ill-fated MV Trisha Kerstin 3.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said four of the bodies were transported to Sulu, while five others were brought to various destinations in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.

The remaining two bodies have yet to be claimed by their families.

“Retrieved 11 cadavers yesterday through joint efforts of Basilan response teams,” the PDRRMO said in a Facebook post.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the exact number of missing persons has yet to be established, as more families continue to report missing relatives.

Commodore Rejard Marfe, commander of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao, said the bodies were already in a state of decomposition and were identified through the clothing worn by the victims.

On Friday, disaster and emergency personnel wearing personal protective equipment unloaded seven of the 11 bodies from the Coast Guard vessel BRP Capones at the Zamboanga City pier.