There were “8 confirmed casualties” so far from the sinking of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, according to a Facebook post by Arsina Laja Kahing-Nanoh, town mayor in Basilan province.

Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez told AFP “at least 138 people” had so far been rescued.

“The challenge here really is the number of patients that are coming in. We are short-staffed at the moment,” Perez said, adding that 18 people had been brought to one local hospital.

“The ferry was sailing from Zamboanga City to Jolo island when the incident happened,” she said.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it was “actively coordinating” to assist its station in southern Mindanao with search and rescue operations.

The archipelago nation of 116 million has a long history of disasters involving ferries between its islands.

In 2023, more than 30 people were killed when a fire ripped through a ferry in the southern Philippines.