ZAMBOANGA CITY, Oct. 7 -- A fast craft ferry plying the Zamboanga-Isabela route sank early Tuesday while docked at the local port amid inclement weather.

Samuel Sabanal, skipper of Weesam Express 8 which is owned by SRN Fast Seacrafts, Inc., said the vessel listed and sank around 5:20 a.m. The ferry was scheduled to sail at 6:45 a.m. to Basilan via Isabela City.

"It was past 3 a.m. when the crew noticed the engine room was flooded with sea water," Sabanal told reporters.

He said crew members tried to flush out the water but were quickly overwhelmed by the inflow through a hole in the engine room. Efforts to salvage the vessel with the aid of a tugboat failed.

Sabanal said all crew members managed to escape before the vessel sank.

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