MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials on Tuesday grounded the entire fleet of passenger ships belonging to a company that owned a ferry that sank in the south and left at least 18 people dead, with more than 300 others rescued.
Ten people, mostly crew members and the captain of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, which sank early Monday off an island in Basilan province, are still missing. A search led by the coast guard and the navy continued in waters where an oil sheen was spotted, coast guard Admiral Ronnie Gavan said.
Coast guard divers and a remotely operated unmanned vehicle will be deployed to locate and check the wreckage, which is estimated to be 76 meters (249 feet) below the sea surface, as part of the search, he said.
The steel-hulled cargo and passenger ferry, which had three decks, sank off the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province while en route to Jolo island from the southern port city of Zamboanga with 317 passengers and 27 crew members on board.
The coast guard initially reported that it was carrying 332 passengers but later said 15 of them decided not to board at the last minute, Transport Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
At least 316 people were rescued and 18 bodies, including that of an infant, have been recovered, he said.
Lopez said the indefinite grounding of all passenger ships of the ferry owner, Aleson Shipping Lines, Inc., would allow an inspection to determine their seaworthiness. Other companies would be allowed to deploy their ferries and the coast guard may provide free rides to prevent a major transport disruption in a region where ferries are the main mode of travel.
“We’ll make sure that this will never happen again,” Lopez said in a news conference, adding that Aleson’s ferries had figured in 32 safety-related incidents since 2019.
It’s not clear how many passengers ships would be grounded. The company did not immediately comment on the government order.
A rescued passenger, Mohamad Khan, who lost his 6-month-old baby, said the ferry suddenly listed to one side, hurling him, his wife and other people into the sea in the darkness. Khan and his wife were rescued but their baby drowned.
The Philippine archipelago has a disturbing history of sea accidents, which have been blamed on storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
Philippine coast guard personnel carry a body bag in Zamboanga city, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, after M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry sank. (AP photo)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched suspected ballistic missiles toward the sea on Tuesday in apparent weapons tests, according to its neighbors, as the North heightens animosities with rival South Korea ahead of a major political meeting.
Japan’s Prime Minister's Office and Defense Ministry said North Korea fired possible ballistic missiles. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it detected the launch of at least one unidentified projectile off North Korea's east coast. Neither country immediately provided details such as how far the North Korean weapons traveled.
Tuesday’s launch came after North Korea recently threatened retaliation over what it called South Korean surveillance drone flights across the border, one earlier in January and another in September. The South Korean government denied operating any drones during the times specified by North Korea and began probing if civilians sent them.
Analysts said North Korea’s drone accusations likely were driven by its efforts to dial up anti-South Korea sentiments ahead of the ruling Workers’ Party congress, which is expected to start in late January or February. The North could add leader Kim Jong Un’s declaration of a hostile “two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula in the party constitution during the congress, the first of its kind in five years.
Earlier this month, North Korea said it performed test flights of hypersonic missiles. Kim observed the launches and underscored the need to bolster the country’s nuclear war deterrent, according to North Korea’s state media.
North Korea in December test fired what it called long-range, strategic cruise missiles and new anti-air missiles and released photos showing the apparent construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.
North Korea aimed to demonstrate or review its achievements on the weapons development sector ahead of the party congress, analysts said.
Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the completion of a first-stage modernization project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex in North Korea Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
