ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) maintained that two passengers in the March 29 ferry fire incident remain unaccounted for.
Nixon Alonzo, Basilan PDRRMO chief, on Saturday corrected the Philippine Coast Guard statement that the cadaver recovered off Bgy. Sulutan Matangal, Hadji Mohammad Adjul on April 11 was the last missing passenger of M/V Lady Mary Joy 3.
The recovered passenger was identified as Private 1st Class Marion Malda of the Sulu-based 11th Infantry Division.
“There are 18 missing passengers based on our collaboration with PDRRMO-Sulu. There are also 16 unidentified charred cadavers recovered aboard the vessel. It means there are two that remain unaccounted for,” Alonzo said.
He said they are in the process of establishing the identities of the 16 charred victims through DNA testing.
“Scene of the crime operatives have taken samples from the charred cadavers that will be crossmatched with the swab samples of families,” he said, noting that the process would take time to complete.
The M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire at about 11:30 p.m. on March 29 near Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan while sailing to Sulu from Zamboanga City. (PNA)
