Technical divers from the special operations group of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have begun searching inside the ill-fated sand carrier vessel MV Hong Hai 16, where two more bodies were recovered on Thursday.

With this, the death toll from the incident has risen to four.

Residents captured on video the capsizing of the vessel about 100 meters off the waters of Barangay Malawaan, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro last Holy Tuesday.

During the initial search of the divers at around 8:15 a.m., the body of the ship’s second mate officer was found in the accommodation area beneath the bridge .

In the second search around 11:36 a.m., the body of an engine cadet was discovered in the cabin crew area on the main deck.

The recovered bodies are believed to be Filipinos.

“This identify na nakita natin kanina o given identity ay base doon sa mga survivors, tatandaan natin ang mga nakuha natin ay medyo hindi na sila same as before at tinutukoy na lang sila ng ating mga survivors sa kanilang kasuotan at mga distinguishing marks, so this [is] all again subject for proper confirmation,” said Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, commander of the PCG Southern Tagalog.

Seven crew members, including three more Chinese nationals, are still missing.

“Hindi naman tayo sumusuko na malocate pa 'yung iba at ginagawan natin ng paraan sa tulong na rin ng local government unit ng Rizal,“ added Tuvilla.

The ship was carrying 25 crew members — 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese.

Six Filipinos and eight Chinese were initially rescued by fishermen after the ship capsized Tuesday afternoon, while one Chinese national was the first confirmed fatality.

Meanwhile, a diver from PCG was rushed to the San Jose District Hospital after experiencing diving sickness.

“As a diver also, this is not a recreational activity ,this is a high risk na activity, nagpe-penetrate ang mga divers natin into a confined space with debris and they been doing this frequently so nandiyan 'yung madi-disorient ka, but the good thing is he is safe, there was just difficulty of breathing,” Tuvilla said.

The PCG also deployed additional oil spill booms around the sunken vessel, although there are still no signs of an oil spill.

“Sa kasalukuyan wala tayo naamoy or visual na oil, presence ng oil doon sa ating subject vessel” said Tuvilla.

The MV Hong Hai 16, owned by Kean Peak Corporation, was carrying 2,000 liters of lube oil and 30,000 liters of automotive diesel oil, which can naturally dissolve due to air and wave conditions.