AFP reported on the 26th that a passenger ferry carrying 342 people sank in Philippine waters, leaving 8 dead. In the early hours, the ferry traveling from the port city of Zamboanga on Mindanao Island to Jolo Island in Sulu sank, killing at least 8 people, and 215 passengers were rescued by the local Coast Guard. The status of the remaining people on board has not yet been disclosed. The rescued survivors are being taken for treatment to locations such as Isabela Province on Luzon Island near the scene. At the time of the accident, 342 people, including passengers and crew, were on board.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the ferry sank after a technical problem occurred during its voyage. The Philippine Coast Guard, together with the navy and local fishing boats, is searching for the missing.

Videos shared on social media (SNS) show some passengers wearing life jackets floating in the sea before being rescued. Some survivors reportedly stated that the ferry suddenly sank after a hole formed in the hull.

In the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, maritime accidents frequently occur due to poor vessel maintenance or failures to observe safety rules such as overloading. In July 2023, a passenger ferry sank off the coastal town of Binangonan in Rizal Province near Manila, killing 27 people. Earlier, in 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker, killing more than 4,300 people, marking the deadliest maritime disaster on record.