Six crew members of MV Hong Hai 16, which capsized in waters near Barangay Malawaan in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, are now confirmed dead.

LTJG Kenneth Bongabong, the incident commander from the Philippine Coast Guard, said in a press briefing that two more bodies were found this Good Friday by Special Operations Group (SOG) divers.

The first body was found at around 2:10 p.m. in the accommodation area under the pilot house.

The second body was discovered at around 3:28 p.m. in the cargo hold area.

The Philippine Coast Guard called on the survivors to help identify the bodies, but they could barely recognize them as the bodies had already started to decompose.

“Kailangan pa ng confirmation from the family,” Bongabong said.

The recovered bodies were brought to Sympathy Funeral.

Five more people are still missing and are believed to be in the fantail area of the ship.

Initial reports said that seven of those trapped were Filipinos and three were Chinese nationals.

The ship was supposed to leave last Tuesday after loading 7,400 cubic meters of sand when the accident happened.

The vessel is owned by Keen Peak Corporation and was contracted by Bluemax Corporation to transport sand dredged from the mouth of the Lumintao River in Barangay Malawaan, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro.

Bluemax Corporation spokesperson Gary Valera earlier said the sand was meant for the reclamation area in Manila Bay.

2 more bodies found in capsized vessel in Occidental Mindoro