The body of another victim of a deadly passenger vessel capsizing incident that occurred in the southern Philippines earlier this year has been found floating in the water nearly two nautical miles from where the tragedy had occurred.
The body of Nurshaina Jalaide, an adult female whom authorities have identified as one of the passengers of the Ro-Pax ferry Trisha Kerstin 3, was found by a local fisherman off the coast of Isabela City in Basilan province at around noon (local time) on Thursday, March 19.
The discovery of Jalaide's remains brings the incident's confirmed death toll to 66. Another 13 individuals are still unaccounted for while 293 survivors have been reported.
The remains were found approximately 1.8 nautical miles from Basilan's Baluk-Baluk Island. In the waters just off that same island, Trisha Kerstin 3 suffered water ingress and sank while en route to Jolo in Sulu province in the early morning of January 26, 2026.
The wreck lies at a depth of more than 70 metres. Dive operations in and around the wreck ended in late February, though surface search operations by the Philippine Coast Guard have continued since.
An official of the Philippine Department of Transportation said that the government is set to file appropriate charges against Aleson Shipping Lines, owner of Trisha Kerstin 3. The charges relate to negligence resulting in deliberate violations of safety protocols.
In a meeting with local legislators, one survivor alleged that the ferry was already listing even before it left port on its ill-fated voyage.
The same survivor said that the captain was aware that the ferry was listing but had nonetheless decided to proceed with their scheduled voyage from Zamboanga City to Jolo on the night of January 25.
Another passenger told lawmakers that several of the vessel's lifejackets were kept in some onboard closets that were locked at the time of the incident.
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.
