Philippine divers today searched a ferry that caught fire at sea, fearing some of the 110 missing victims might have been trapped in their cabins.
Divers had entered the bridge of the 155-metre (510-foot) long Super Ferry 14, which listed on its right side after it was towed from the mouth of Manila Bay to the eastern province of Bataan, but found nothing.
"Our divers were able to search the submerged portion. We still can't board the dry portion because it's still hot," coastguard Rear Admiral Arthur Gosingan told Reuters news agency.
By late afternoon, thin smoke drifted from parts of the 10,000-tonne ship. Earlier today, four coastguard boats sprayed water on the smouldering ferry to cool the vessel down.
"The ferry is not totally burned. We hope that we could still find survivors," Admiral Gosingan said.
Admiral Gosingan, who led the rescuers, said boats, a helicopter and a plane did not spot any survivors this morning.
Relatives of the missing at the coastguard headquarters in Manila said they feared people had been trapped in the ferry.
"I'm losing hope. It's been 24 hours," said Mr Georgito Canaza, who was searching for his mother.
Another relative said most of the missing passengers had been in cabins when the fire started.
The ferry, which the coastguard said was carrying a total 879 passengers and crew, was on a journey from Manila to Bacolod in central Philippines when the disaster struck an hour after it left port.
The coastguard said 766 people were rescued, including 153 crew members. It listed one dead.
The shipping firm said 788 people were rescued. It listed one dead and 110 missing.
The coastguard appealed to authorities in towns around Manila Bay to report the appearance of survivors, many of whom were picked up by fishing boats after they jumped into the sea to escape the flames.
They also said they were checking if some of those listed as missing had been recovered, but did not report to authorities.