The proximity of bomber planes and gunboats used for fighting Al-Qaeda-linked militants and two passing cargo ships led to the successful rescue of nearly 1,000 people – including the crew – from a sunken ferry in a country known for some of the world's worst maritime disasters, officials said Monday. Nine people died and one remained missing but rescue efforts by the navy, coast guard and civilian ships saved 958 passengers and crew from the Superferry 9, which sank Sunday off southern Zamboanga del Norte province after precariously listing for at least six hours, officials said. An investigation will begin later this week to find out why the 7,269-ton vessel – its power flickering on and off – suddenly tilted to the right then began to sink in the dark, pre-dawn hours, sparking panic among hundreds of terrified passengers, coast guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said. Capt. Jose Yap, who was among the survivors, issued the “abandon ship” order at 4:40 a.m. (2040GMT) and the ferry, built in 1986 in Japan, sank six hours later, the coast guard said. As panic ensued, passengers leapt into the dark sea and parents dropped children into life rafts bobbing in the choppy sea, according to witnesses. Two passing cargo and container ships arrived at the scene less than an hour after receiving a coast guard emergency call for assistance. About two hours later, two assault navy boats guided by two OV-10 bomber planes and two Huey helicopters arrived and began to pluck survivors from the ferry and the sea, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said. Although many passengers donned life jackets and managed to cling onto the ferry until they were rescued, some panicked and jumped into the water and others drifted away on life boats, Dolorfino said. “When our assets arrived, people were floating everywhere,” Dolorfino told The Associated Press, adding the military searched a 5-kilometer radius from the sinking ferry. “The presence of many military assets in the area was a big factor,” he said. About 100 sailors and divers and air force pilots helped in the rescue, said Rear Admiral Alex Pama, who helped supervise the operation.
