Feb. 29, 2004
Photo: Ferry fire — The smouldering hull of the Superferry 14 rest on its starboard side as rescuers prepare to board the vessel in search of scores of missing people in Mariveles Bataan. (AFP/Joel Nito)
A militant Muslim group says it planted a bomb on board a Philippine ferry which caught fire at sea, leaving about 180 people missing.
A man identifying himself as Abu Sulaiman of the Abu Sayyaf group made the claim in a call to a Philippine radio station.
Military authorities say they are sceptical about the claim and will await the results of an investigation.
Meanwhile, rescuers have boarded the wreck of the vessel for the first time.
Survivors hope
The smouldering 10,000-ton Superferry 14 had been too hot to enter before Sunday.
Teams armed with axes and spotlights entered the ship through broken windows and explored the submerged command bridge but have not yet found anybody.
"We are not saying there are a lot of bodies yet," said coastguard Rear Admiral Arthur Gosingan.
"The ferry is not totally burned. We hope that we could still find survivors."
Photo: A helicopter drops water onto a burning ferry off Corregidor island in Manila Bay February 27, 2004. One person was killed when fire raged through the Super Ferry 14 which had 861 passengers on board. The coast guard said 638 people had been confirmed as rescued but that 233 were not yet accounted for. (Reuters - Feb 29 3:11 AM)
Relatives of the missing said they feared people were still trapped in their cabins.
There are conflicting reports about the number of people unaccounted for.
Authorities say some of those listed as missing might have been picked up by fishing boats after jumping into the water to escape the flames.
One person died and more than 700 were rescued, according to the coastguard and the ferry operator.
Bomb claim
Radio Mindanao Network's programme director Benji Alejandro said Abu Sulaiman told him Abu Sayyaf attacked the ferry in revenge Filipino Muslims being hurt in Philippine military operations.
The fire broke out on the same day that a court sentenced two Abu Sayyaf members to life imprisonment for kidnapping.
Witnesses said they heard an explosion before the fire started shortly after the ferry set sail en route from Manila to Bacolod.
Investigators have not ruled out sabotage, but are sceptical that it was a bomb attack.
"They just want to ride and hitch on the media mileage on this Superferry fire," said Philippine military spokesman Lt Col Daniel Lucero.
Photo: Philippine rescuers rapel at the wreckage of the Superferry ship after it was engulfed by a fire and was docked at Mariveles bay, north of Manila February 29, 2004. Hopes of finding alive any of about 100 people missing after fire gutted a Philippine ferry faded on Sunday as rescuers scoured the sea near the capital Manila and divers searched the partly submerged ship. (Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)
The Abu Sayyaf, which mainly engages in kidnap for ransom, is one of four Muslim rebel groups operating in the southern Philippines.
It has been labelled a terrorist organisation by both Manila and Washington, and is believed by the US to have links with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
The Philippine Government has deployed thousands of troops in the south in an effort to rescue the last of the hostages and eradicate the Abu Sayyaf.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3519403.stm