Manila, Feb. 10 -- Divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recovered five more bodies during a search of the sunken M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 in waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan on Tuesday.

In a statement, the PCG said the bodies bring the total fatalities of the sinking to 51, while survivors remain at 316.

"The remains were immediately secured and are being transported to Zamboanga City Port for identification and proper disposition, in coordination with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office," it said.

The operation began at 6 a.m. with a pre-dive briefing to review safety measures, operational objectives, and dive parameters for the PCG Technical Diving Group (TDG).

Four technical divers conducted the searc...