At least eight people have been confirmed dead after a passenger ferry operated by Aleson Shipping Lines sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Basilan in the southern Philippines, local officials said.

The vessel, M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, went down just hours after departing Zamboanga Port en route to Jolo, Sulu.

Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman told local media that the ferry was carrying 332 passengers at the time of the incident, along with 27 crew members.

Conflicting initial manifests put the total number of people on board between 342 and 359, complicating early rescue and accounting efforts.