February 19, 1996
Web posted at: 10:00 a.m. EST (1500 GMT)
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- An overcrowded ferry that capsized only a few hundred yards from its destination, killing at least 54 people, failed a safety check last week, the Philippine coast guard said. It had been ordered out of service.
The government ordered similar ferries to be inspected Monday. The wooden-hulled ferry ML Gretchen was carrying more than 200 people, twice its legal capacity, when wind and high waves caused it to start rocking Sunday evening.
Passengers panicked and rushed to one side of the vessel, capsizing it. The dead included 31 children; 12 people were missing. The government plans to file criminal charges against the boat's captain and owner for overloading, said Arnie Santiago of the national Maritime Emergency Response Division.
The ferry sank about 300 miles south of Manila as it was approaching Cadiz City at the northern tip of Negros Island. It had traveled from nearby Bantayan Island in Cebu province.
IRIAN JAYA PROVINCE, Indonesia (CNN) -- The magnitude-7.5 earthquake that hit Indonesia's easternmost province and triggered tidal waves killed at least 63 people, officials said Monday. Rescuers were searching for more victims.
The quake destroyed more than 2,000 houses on Biak island. A more accurate assessment of casualties and damages was being hindered by logistical problems at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and broken communication links.
The quake, centered in the Pacific Ocean 106 kilometers (66 miles) east of Biak Island, toppled houses and buildings and cut communication lines on Biak, one of several islands dotting Irian Jaya, which borders Papua New Guinea.
It caused tidal waves from 2 meters (6 feet) to 4 meters (13 feet) high and sparked concern in Japan, where thousands of people living along the Pacific Coast were urged to evacuate their homes for fear of the waves. However, no major damage was reported in Japan.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN ) -- The Chinese cargo vessel Gu Cheng sank in rough seas in the Taiwan Strait on Monday and hopes of finding any of its 30 crew alive faded after rescuers were unable to find any trace of the boat.
Despite bitter political rivalry between Taiwan and China, Taiwanese officials said army helicopters and a marine police vessel were sent to the area where the vessel had sunk, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of the northern Taiwan port of Tanshui.
In another incident, hope was fading for 19 crewmen missing after a Greek-registered cargo ship sank in rough seas on Saturday night. Eleven of the Seafaith's crew were rescued shortly after it sank at 12 p.m. (1600 GMT), when a nearby Japanese vessel came to the aid of the stricken ship. The boat went down about 95 kilometers (59 miles) north of Taiwan, near the outlying island of Peng Chia-yu.
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