MV Dona Paz : The Deadliest Peacetime Shipwreck In History

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MV Dona Paz

Accident type: Collision
Vessels involved: MV Dona Paz and MT Vector
Location: Tablas Strait
Date: December 20, 1987
Casualties: 4,386 people died

VESSEL INFO:

Name: MV Dona Paz
Built in: 1963
Flag: Philippines
Type/class: Passenger ferry
Tonnage: 2,602 tons
Length: 93.1 m (305 ft)
Beam: 13.6 m (45 ft)

The MV Dona Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry, built in 1963 by Onomichi Zosen of Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan and was originally named Himeyuri Maru.

On December 20, 1987, this Philippine passenger ferry, en route from the Philippine island of Leyte to Manila, collided with an oil tanker, caught fire and sank.  An estimated 4,386 people died and only 24 survivors were found, half of whom were crew members from the MT Victor.  This makes it twice as deadly as the Titanic disaster and it was the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history.

The MV Dona Paz collided at night in the Tablas Strait with the Vector, carrying more than 8,000 barrels of petroleum products.  The MT Vector’s cargo burst into flames and fire quickly spread to the MV Dona Paz; both vessels eventually sank.

Source: Wikipedia