The Philippine Coast Guard says the death toll from Thursday's ferry accident near Manila has risen to at least 27. They say the boat was overloaded with passengers.

The ferry was heading for an island in Laguna Lake. The coast guard has rescued 43 people. Survivors say passengers panicked and rushed to one side of the boat, when the vessel encountered strong winds. They say that caused the ferry to capsize. Relatives of the dead were seen mourning on Friday.

The coast guard says there were about 70 people on the motorboat. It notes the vessel was only designed to hold 42 individuals. The boat's captain told the authorities that people were stranded, due to a recently lifted "no sail" policy. The policy was implemented in the area, when Typhoon Doksuri hit. The captain claims he had to allow the people to board the boat.

Doksuri left a trail of destruction in the northern part of the country. The typhoon left 13 people dead and 12 injured. Twenty individuals are still missing.