Salvage crew retrieved more than a hundred containers of toxic endosulfan from the sunken ferry, MV Princess of the Stars, media reports said.
The ferry capsized with more than 400 drums of endosulphan off Sibuyan Island June 21 at the height of Typhoon Frank.
Media reports also said that one diver, who was not identified, was rushed to a hospital after showing symptoms of cyanide poisoning. The Philippines coast guard's medical assistance unit said that the incident of cyanide poisoning would be investigated. The authorities have warned scavengers to stay away from the sunken ferry to avoid possible contamination from the toxic pesticide.
Even as the environmental protection groups appealed to send the recovered barrels of endosulphan back to Israel where it was manufactured, a Manila Regional trail court has ruled that the retrieved toxic cargo would be turned over to the government, and not to the owners of the sunken vessel.
The salvage operations were delayed for a month because of bad weather in the area. Salvage vessels and teams of divers have been contracted by Sulficio Lines for a 30-day, $7.6 million operation to retrieve the 10-metric-ton cargo from the ferry.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.