Rescuers hold out little hope of finding any of the close to 800 people missing from a capsized ferry in the Philippines. Divers are due to drill into the ship’s hull in the hope of finding survivors.

The “Princess of the Stars” went down on Saturday afternoon during a typhoon in gusts of 195 kph.

Philippine authorities have grounded the vessels from Sulpicio Lines, which have been involved in three major disasters over the past 21 years.

Typhoon Fengshen pounded the archipelago at the weekend, washing away houses and roads and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The Red Cross estimates hundreds have died. Authorities believe thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been lost and disaster officials fear for food supplies to evacuees crammed into schools, churches and townhalls.

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