Daily Lessons from Life 17 August 2013 - Search suspended for 171 missing in Philippine ferry disaster

"Search suspended for 171 missing in Philippine ferry disaster - AFP Aug 17, 2013 CEBU, Philippines - Stormy weather forced Philippine rescuers to suspend a search Saturday for 171 people missing after a crowded ferry collided with a cargo ship and quickly sank, with 31 others confirmed dead. The St Thomas Aquinas ferry was carrying 831 passengers and crew when the vessels smashed into each other late on Friday night in a dangerous choke point near the port of Cebu, the Philippines' second-biggest city, authorities said. Coastguard and military vessels, as well as local fishermen in their own small boats, frantically worked through the night and Saturday morning to haul 629 people out of the water alive. But when bad weather whipped up the ocean mid-afternoon on Saturday, authorities suspended the search with 171 people still unaccounted for. The cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7, which had 36 crew members on board, did not sink. Television footage showed its steel bow had caved in on impact but it sailed safely to dock. Tuason said it appeared one of the vessels had violated rules on which lanes they should use when travelling in and out of the port, without specifying which one. The strait leading into the Cebu port is a well-known danger zone, said the enforcement office chief of the government's Maritime Industry Authority, Arnie Santiago. Ferries are one of the main forms of transport across the archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, particularly for the millions of people too poor to fly. But sea accidents are common, with poor safety standards and lax enforcement typically to blame. The world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster occurred near the capital Manila in 1987 when a ferry laden with Christmas holidaymakers collided with a small oil tanker, killing more than 4,300 people. In 2008, a huge ferry capsized during a typhoon off the central island of Sibuyan, leaving almost 800 dead." A tragic accident for sure. Yet, while we feel for the loss of lives, one must forced oneself to think about: why did it happen again and again? Lessons for me are: 1. nobody goes out there to try to kill themselves. Yet, for whatever reasons, human being sometimes risk their lives for some conveniences like: to save time, to carry more load so as to make some or more money, etc. When major accident like this one happened, the perfect hindsight and analysis seems to point to: a mistake repeating itself!; 2. for this particular accident, based on the report provided, it seems to point to human error. Hopefully NOT safety standard was broken like overloading, not enough lifebuoys available, etc occurred. Just plainly someone in charge made a mistake that caused the collision. While this does not alter the sad situation of 31 confirmed dead and 171 still unaccounted for, at least we know NO ONE consciously put someone else's life in danger; 3. will this tragic accident leads to heighten awareness of the need to be more careful with sailing in those danger spots? I am sure it will. Especially in the next 2-3 months and longer for those who had lost their loved ones. Will it last forever? Hopefully it will as when human being forget the mistakes that killed, deaths will happen again! Conscientious application of safety rules and procedures, better training for the sailors, and deeper commitment to sticking to established safety protocols will save lives in the future should similar situation happened. Condolences to the family of the dead, and may those missing 171 be found and in safe condition.