Four people die, 240 rescued in Philippine ferry crash

Four people died and rescuers saved 240 others after a Philippine ferry battling bad weather capsized off the country’s northeast coast Thursday. More than 250 passengers and crew members boarded the interisland ferry earlier in the day from a port in Quezon province. Donel Jade Mendiola, one of the survivors, told local radio station DZMM that bad weather briefly delayed the ferry’s departure, and it battled against strong winds and large waves about two hours into the trip. “The vessel came to a halt and started taking in water in the front side,” Mendiola said. “The passengers dashed to one side and the ferry started to sink.” Rescue workers in navy vessels, fishing boats, and coast guard boats rescued about 240 people, some of them with injuries. The casualties included two men and two women, and at least seven other people remain missing, Quezon officials said. Search teams temporarily suspended operations after nightfall due to bad weather. But coast guard spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said the “search and rescue operations will continue until all crew and passengers are accounted for.”