The bow of the sunken M.V.Princess of the Stars juts from the sea off the island of Sibuyan, in central Philippines on June 22, 2008. The ferry capsized in rough seas stirred up by Typhoon Fengshen. Only 38 of more than 800 passengers and crew believed to be aboard the ferry have so far been found, according to the Associated Press.MANILA, Philippines - There are two rescuers team prepared to dive into rough waters off the Philippine coast to find a way inside a capsized ferry "Princess of the Stars" in a desperate effort to locate 800 people believed to be still aboard.
If the planned underwater missions fail, a tugboat will be on standby with gear to cut through the ferry's hull as a last resort — a prospect complicated by a cargo of bunker oil that could leak and turn the human disaster into an environmental one.
The divers, however, will get the first shot, coast guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said, "looking for open hatches or doors on the side of the ship, diving underneath, breaking cabin glass windows if we can break them or cut an opening."
On Sunday, divers heard no response when they hammered on the hull, but officials refused to give up.
Hundreds of people are feared to have been trapped when the ship suddenly tilted and went belly up Saturday at the height of the powerful storm that left 163 people dead in flooded communities in the central Philippines.
All that was visible Monday of the 23,824-ton, seven-story Princess of Stars was one end poking out of the waters off Sibuyan island, still churning after Typhoon Fengshen's full force swept through.
Only 38 ferry survivors have been found, including 28 who drifted at sea for more than 24 hours, first in a life raft, then in life jackets, before they were found Sunday about 80 miles (130 kilometers) to the north in eastern Quezon province.
A US Navy ship carrying search and rescue helicopters was headed in, and a P-3 maritime surveillance plane also was being dispatched. "We want to express our condolences to the Philippine people," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
Officials initially reported 747 passengers and crew were aboard the ferry, but said Monday that it was carrying about 100 more. Six bodies, including those of a man and woman who had bound themselves together, have washed ashore, along with children's slippers and life jackets. While some relatives tearfully waited for news, others angrily questioned why the ship was allowed to leave Manila late Friday for a 20-hour trip to Cebu with a typhoon approaching.
Sulpicio Lines said it sailed with coast guard approval. The government ordered the company to suspend services pending an investigation and a check of its other ships' seaworthiness.
Debate also began anew on safe-sailing rules in a country prone to storms — Fengshen was the seventh typhoon this year — and dependent on ferries to get around the sprawling archipelago.
The storm continued to dump rain on Luzon island and generate strong winds Monday as it headed toward China and Taiwan.
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