A SMALL Philippine ferry turned upside down when passengers suddenly crowded to one side in panic as fierce winds pummelled the wooden vessel, leaving at least 26 people dead while 40 others were rescued, officials announced today.

Coastguard and police said search-and rescue efforts had resumed after a pause on Thursday night. 

Officials said it remained unclear how many people had been aboard the M/B Princess Aya, which capsized on Thursday in Laguna de Bay in Rizal province east of Manila.

When people rushed to one side of the vessel amid severe winds, the boat tilted and its outrigger broke, then the boat capsized shortly after leaving a wharf in the town of Binangonan for nearby Talim island, police and the coastguard said.

The Rizal provincial police said that they immediately launched a rescue operation with the help of the coastguard and other local authorities, but that at least 26 people drowned, while 40 others were saved.

“This is really a tragic event that has to be investigated,” coastguard Rear Admiral Hostillo Arturo Cornelio told reporters.

The ferry was supposed to carry a maximum of 42 passengers and crew members but was overloaded, Mr Cornelio said. 

The search continues today.