MANILA – A tragic incident struck the southern Philippines early Monday when a ferry with over 350 people aboard sank near an island. Authorities have confirmed the rescue of at least 316 passengers and the recovery of 15 bodies.

The vessel, M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, was a cargo and passenger ferry operating between islands. It was en route to Jolo island in Sulu province from Zamboanga city when technical issues reportedly led to its sinking shortly after midnight. The ferry was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members at the time, according to coast guard officials.

The distressing event occurred in favorable weather conditions approximately one nautical mile (around 2 kilometers) from Baluk-baluk, a village on Basilan island. Many of those rescued were initially brought to this location, confirmed coast guard commander Romel Dua, speaking with The Associated Press.

“A coast guard safety officer was aboard and was the first to alert us, enabling the swift deployment of rescue vessels,” Dua noted. He also mentioned that the safety officer survived the ordeal.

Efforts to find more survivors continue, with coast guard and navy ships being joined by a surveillance plane, an air force Black Hawk helicopter, and numerous fishing boats in the search and rescue operations off the coast of Basilan, Dua added.

Mujiv Hataman, Basilan provincial governor, said several passengers and two bodies were brought to Isabela, the provincial capital, where he and ambulance vans waited.

“I’m receiving 37 people here in the pier. Unfortunately two are dead,” Hataman told The AP by cellphone from the Isabela pier.

The coast guard said 316 passengers had been rescued and at least 15 bodies found.

The cause of the ferry sinking was not immediately clear and there will be an investigation, Dua said, adding that the coast guard cleared the ferry before it left the Zamboanga port and there was no sign of overloading.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent 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 worst peacetime maritime disaster.