12 Years After Ferry Disaster, Money Awarded

Relatives of two passengers of a Philippine ferry who died with 4,000 others in the world's worst peacetime sea disaster have won claims for damages after almost 12 years of court battle. The Philippine Supreme Court, in a ruling on Tuesday, awarded $18,775 in damages to the relatives of school teacher Sebastian Canezal and his 11-year-old daughter who both drowned in the sinking of the inter-island ferry Dona Paz. The Dona Paz sank in December 1987 after a collision with the oil tanker MT Vector off Mindoro island in the central Philippines. Court records showed the Dona Paz was carrying an estimated 4,000 people. Only 24 people survived. Canezal's wife and mother sued the ferry owners, Sulpicio Lines, Inc, for damages.