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February 5, 2026 | 12:00am
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard lower an inflatable boat from BRP Melchora Aquino as the search for the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 resumes near Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad town in Basilan on Friday.
Roel Pareño
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A team of technical divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday reached the wreckage of the sunken M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 in the waters off Hadji Muhtammad town in Basilan.
Commodore Rejard Marfe, chief of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao, said that PCG technical divers led by Commander Cheska Jamorol found the wreckage on Tuesday night through the use of a side-scan sonar.
Marfe said the wreckage of the vessel was located approximately 1.8 nautical miles off Baluk-Baluk Island.
He said the divers entered the vessel and released several bodies trapped in the ship’s quarters and cabins. Two of these bodies were recovered during a surface retrieval operation.
The recovery of the bodies brought the number of fatalities to 45, while the survivors remained at 316.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started the process of identifying the bodies through DNA testing.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said that relatives of the victims have provided DNA samples to aid in the identification.
Meanwhile, PCG spokesperson Capt. Noemie Cayabyab said the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) on Tuesday ended the rescue operation for the missing passengers and crewmembers of the recreational boat M/BCA Amejara.
Of the 16 people onboard the Amejara, nine remain missing and one survived. Of the six fatalities, four have been identified.
The Amejara departed Zamboanga for Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental on Jan. 17 and was reported missing on Jan. 19.
