By Jite Eriabie
Four out of over 250 passengers of M/V Mercaft 3 ferry have died after the vessel capsized in rough weather off the Philippines earlier today.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that the four casualties have been retrieved from the water and that 240 passengers of the ill-fated ferry have been rescued.
The fate of the remaining passengers is yet to be determined.
The M/V Mercraft 3 sank between Quezon and Polillo Island shortly before noon. The vessel departed the port of Real, in northern Quezon, in the morning.
Bad weather is believed to have been the key factor that led to the sinking as the archipelago is bracing for the Tropical Storm Tembin.
Due to the tropical cyclone warning the Coast Guard has canceled all trips in all ports in Surigao del Sur and Northern Davao Oriental.
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