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MANILA: Rescue operations were under way Sunday after the captain of a listing ferry ordered more than 800 passengers to abandon ship off the southern Philippines, the coastguard said.
At least 155 of the 847 passengers on board the Philippines-flagged Superferry 9 had been transferred to two sister ships that came to its aid, Jess Supan, vice president of the shipping line WG&A, said on DZMM radio.
The Sulu Sea waters "have calmed down a bit from the previous night" which made the rescue effort easier, he added.
The remaining passengers were being put on board life rafts for an orderly transfer, "but there were reports that some panicked passengers had jumped into the water," said Lieutenant Armand Balilo, the coastguard spokesman.
Both men said the authorities were trying to check if there had been casualties.
The ferry issued a distress signal around 4:00 am (2000 GMT Saturday) as it tilted in heavy seas about 70 nautical miles off the port of Zamboanga, the authorities said.
"The ship captain ordered the passengers to abandon the vessel. This is more of a precautionary measure," Supan said.
"The crew is doing all they can to correct the list," he said, adding that the 117-member crew had reported some progress as it had lessened to 35 degrees to the right, from 40 degrees previously.
Coastguard and navy vessels are en route to help in the rescue, Balilo said.
The ship was sailing off the west coast of Mindanao island's Zamboanga peninsula on its way to the central port of Iloilo.
Tropical storm Dujuan, off the Philippines' northeast coast, has heightened the seasonal southwest monsoon winds, bringing rough weather across the country, according to the weather bureau here.
- AFP/yb
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