Rescuers in the Philippines are continuing to battle huge waves as they search for 28 people still missing after a ferry capsized in the northeast of the country.
The Philippine coastguard said on Tuesday that the vessel was carrying twice its registered capacity.
The Maejan was carrying about 100 passengers when it capsized off the northern coast of Luzon late on Sunday, but it was licensed to carry only 40 passengers and 10 crewmen, Lieutenant Gary Gimotea, a coastguard spokesman, said.
He said 45 people survived and 28 were still missing.
The bodies of four children were found overnight, pushing the toll to 27.
Rough seas
The Maejan had set off from Calayan island for Aparri town in northern Luzon when it was hit by strong waves and capsized near the mouth of the Cagayan river on Sunday evening.
Gimotea said that the coastguard does not have a station at Calayan and could not prevent the overloaded vessel from sailing, adding that the vessel had all the correct permits.
A board of inquiry is investigating the incident but is mainly concerned with its cause and is not looking to file charges, he said.
The waters where the ferry capsized remained rough on Tuesday, hampering search and rescue operations, Gimotea added.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained ships and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
Last month, a cargo ship sank in rough seas north of Cagayan, and passing vessels plucked 16 of 20 people from shark-infested waters.
Weeks earlier, separate storms capsized two passenger boats in the central Philippines, drowning more than 50 people.
PHOTO CAPTION
This handout photo released by the Philippine Air Force shows the hull of the capsized ferry overturned along the coast near the town of Ballesteros in northern Cagayan province on December 15.
Al-Jazeera