Seven Bodies Recovered From Philippine Dive Boat Sinking

Philippine maritime authorities have recovered seven bodies from the sinking of a dive boat off the coast of the southern island of Mindanao.
A multiagency search has been underway since January 19th when the Philippine Coast Guard received a smartphone message of the incident.
A crew member on the boat is the only known survivor so far, who was rescued the day after the reported sinking.
A total of 15 people — passengers and crew — were aboard at the time of the incident.
The bodies were found off Balut Island, where the northeast monsoon season is known to spark harsh sea conditions and powerful currents. Efforts are underway to identify the bodies to determine whether they were passengers or crew.
Philippine Coast Guard cutters along with aircraft and volunteer fishing boats are continuing the search in the area, while an investigation is underway into whether the dive boat had the proper clearances to depart.