Typhoon Fengshen was one of this century’s deadliest storms
More than 800 people died when a ferry capsized in the middle of Typhoon Fengshen’s ferocious winds and waves
Typhoon Fengshen turned into one of this century’s deadliest tropical cyclones when it claimed more than 1,300 lives in one weekend in June 2008.
The storm, which packed the equivalent strength of a major Category 3 hurricane, arrived in the central Philippines at the same time as a fully loaded ferry travelling from the nation’s capital of Manila.
A series of ill-fated decisions would ultimately lead to more than 800 deaths on that ship alone.
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Tropical cyclones are a year-round hazard in the western Pacific Ocean. Given their vulnerable location, the Philippines often take the brunt of these powerful storms.
A disturbance about 1,700 km southeast of Manila grew into Tropical Storm Fengshen—or Frank, as it was called in the Philippines—on Thursday, June 19, 2008. Over the next several hours, this system rapidly organized into a typhoon as it moved northwest across the region.
Steadily intensifying as it raked across the Philippines, the storm peaked on Saturday, June 21, as it approached Sibuyan Island with maximum sustained winds of around 200 km/h. This made it the equivalent strength of a major Category 3 hurricane.
A full ferry known as MV Princess of the Stars arrived near Sibuyan Island just as the intense core of the storm pushed into the region. The vessel, carrying a total of 849 people, started taking on water and eventually capsized amid the rough seas and ferocious winds.
Dangerous weather conditions prevented rescuers from reaching the area for more than a day after the disaster. All told, only 32 of the 849 people aboard survived the ordeal.
Several months later, an official investigation found that the captain failed to “exercise [extraordinary] diligence and good seamanship thereby committing an error of judgment that brought MV Princess of the Stars in harm’s way.”
Additionally, Fengshen’s strong winds, flash flooding, and mudslides killed more than 500 people on land, bringing the typhoon’s total loss of life to more than 1,300 people. This tragic death toll placed the storm nearly on par with Hurricane Katrina, making Fengshen one of the world’s deadliest tropical cyclones this century.