2nd LD Writethru: Philippine ferry sinks off Quezon province, killing at least 4

MANILA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A ferry carrying 251 passengers sank off Philippine Quezon province in high waves on Thursday, killing at least four people, a hospital staff said.

The administrator of the Claro M. Recto district hospital in Infanta, Quezon said at least 11 survivors were also brought to the hospital.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Armand Balilo told reporters that the PCG received reports that some passengers drowned but that they had yet to confirm the report.

He said a rescue operation was underway. "Three rescue boats are on the way to the accident site, some 8 to 9 miles from the shoreline," he added.

The ferry left a port in Real, a town Quezon province, around 8:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and was on the way to Polilio, an island in the northeastern region of the Philippine archipelago which is separated from Luzon island by the Polilio Strait.

The vessel reportedly sank an hour after it left the port.

Spokesman Balilo said they were still determining the cause of the accident. However, he said that it could be caused by the inclement weather.

He said the ferry, a fast craft, has a capacity to carry 286 passengers.

There are no reports of Chinese passengers on the ferry as of now, an official from the Chinese embassy in the Philippines told Xinhua. Enditem