TABLAS STRAIT — 1987 · Major Tragedy
The MV Doña Paz Disaster
On the night of 20 December 1987 the passenger ferry MV Doña Paz, sailing from Tacloban on Leyte to Manila, collided with the fuel tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait off Mindoro. Thousands of barrels of oil on the tanker caught fire, both ships were engulfed in flames and quickly sank. The official manifest listed about 1,500 people, but the ferry, overcrowded for the Christmas holidays, was found to have carried far more; the estimated death toll exceeded 4,300 and only a little over 20 people survived. It is regarded as the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster. An official inquiry blamed the tanker, which was operating without a licence or a qualified crew, and families fought for compensation for years.
- Date
- 1987
- Place
- Mimaropa, Philippines, Tablas Strait, PH
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 12.9600, 121.6000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 20 December 1987The Doña Paz collided with the tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait.
- 21 December 1987Rescuers found only a handful of survivors.
- December 1987It emerged the ferry had carried far more than its manifest.
- 1988A marine board of inquiry blamed the tanker.
- December 2012Twenty-five years on, families said they were still waiting for justice.
Sources
- TIME — The Philippines: Off Mindoro, a Night to Remember content.time.com ↗
- The New York Times — 1,500 are feared lost as 2 ships collide (1987) nytimes.com ↗
- Philippine Daily Inquirer — Doña Paz victims waiting for justice newsinfo.inquirer.net ↗
- Wikipedia — MV Doña Paz en.wikipedia.org ↗
- TIME
- The New York Times
- Philippine Daily Inquirer
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.