SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — A coast guard diver searching for survivors Tuesday inside a ferry that capsized in a typhoon found bodies and a bit of comfort — a plastic rosary floating in the water.
Lt. Cmdr. Inocencio Rosario slipped on the string of light blue beads for luck, and hoped that it was an omen that a miracle was still possible, that survivors would be found inside the hulking vessel.
Typhoon Fengshen toppled the seven-story ferry Saturday as the storm cut a deadly swath through the central Philippines. Only four dozen survivors have been found; more than 800 passengers and crew are missing.
With each passing day, the hope of finding them dimmed.
About 30 divers were on hand, including some U.S. Navy frogmen who were expected to take turns searching the vessel today and help map the seabed. The ferry, about 500 yards off Sibuyan island, is lying on unstable coral.
Nearby villagers said a deep trench may be nearby, so there are concerns the vessel could slip and plunge deeper.
The storm’s toll on shore includes 227 dead and 275 missing in the worst-hit region, with dozens reported killed elsewhere by floods and landslides. It caused an estimated $74.2 million in crop damage.
The roiling seas left in the storm’s wake had kept rescue workers away from the ferry until calm, sunny conditions Tuesday allowed the divers to slip inside. Only the tip of the bow juts from the water.
Once inside, the divers found bodies in air pockets. Passengers could have survived initially, and some may have suffocated as they waited for rescuers delayed by the storm, Philippine navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said.
