Four drown, 23 missing as Philippine boat sinks

Four people were killed and were 23 missing yesterday after two boats collided in darkness near Manila during the Christmas holiday rush, the latest disaster to hit the Philippines in a year of tragedy.
Four bodies, including that of a woman in a life jacket, were pulled out of Manila Bay following the early-hours collision between a flimsy passenger boat and a deep-sea fishing vessel, the coastguard said.
Three of the bodies were found floating near the submerged wreck of the Catalyn B, a wooden-hulled passenger vessel that sank after it rammed into the fishing boat at 2:25 am (1825 GMT Wednesday).