Philippine ferry disaster, floods kill 7

Heavy storms in the Philippines killed at least seven people and left more than a dozen others feared missing at sea, rescuers said yesterday.
Five of the confirmed fatalities occurred when a wooden-hulled passenger ferry capsized about 10 kilometres from port off the southwestern island of Palawan on Tuesday, the coastguard said.
At least 17 other people were believed to be missing, based on the ferry's manifest, Palawan coastguard spokeswoman Ensign Greanata Jude told AFP.
Two people were also killed and another reported missing when heavy rains lashed the southern island of Mindanao, unleashing floods on Monday and Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre said.
Ferries are one of the main modes of transport in the Philippine archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, and accidents at sea are common due to poor safety standards and overloading.