Hanoi, Feb. 11 -- Philippine authorities said on February 11 that overloading may have been a key factor in the sinking of a ferry in the country's south last month, as the death toll rose to 52 after another body was recovered from the wreck.

At a press briefing, the Philippines' Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the sunken vessel, M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, had committed multiple safety violations and that its owner, Aleson Shipping Lines, had breached administrative regulations. He noted that overcapacity and overloading were among the possible causes of the tragedy.

Preliminary findings showed that vehicles on board the ferry at the time of the accident, including trucks and motorcycles, did not pass through weighing stations ...