The U.S. Navy has sent a ship to assist in a search for survivors in central Philippines where a ferry carrying over 860 people sank during a typhoon, the national PNA news agency said on Monday according to RIA Novosti.
The Japanese-based vessel carrying rescue helicopters is expected to arrive at the disaster scene either on Monday or early Tuesday.
The MV Princess of Stars ran aground and sank two days ago en route from the capital Manila to Cebu in the central Philippines with 862 people onboard, including 45 children and 121 crew members.
A total of 32 people survived, ten have been officially confirmed dead, while the others are listed as missing.
Of the 32 survivors, 28 people mostly men, were found drifting in the life raft by Philippine villagers, while one was picked up by a fishing boat.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by typhoon Fengshen, which has claimed the lives of over 150 people and displaced thousands, with winds gusting up to 150 kilometers per hour (94 mph) and severe rain hammering the coast.
A special maritime task force has been set up to establish the cause of the accident.
The ferry's owner, Sulpicio Lines Inc, said it would pay 200,000 pesos ($4,496) in compensation for each dead passenger.