Death toll 124 in ferry sinking

MANILA, Philippines, June 26 (UPI) -- The number of confirmed deaths in last week's Philippines ferry sinking has risen to 124 with 56 known survivors, coast guard data indicated Thursday.

The MV Princess of the Stars was carrying 862 passengers and crew when it capsized Saturday off the Sibuyan Island in Romblon at the height of the onslaught of Typhoon Frank.

It wasn't clear from the coast guard report if the death toll includes remains retrieved from the wreckage of the ship, the Philippine Daily Inquirer said.

Search-and-rescue efforts have begun to shift to the retrieval of bodies believed to have come from the ship.

However, authorities stressed that they weren't abandoning hopes of finding more survivors.