Two bodies have been recovered as rescuers rushed hundreds of people on board a sinking passenger ferry in the southern Philippines to nearby rescue vessels, the country's coast guard said.

Coast guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo told a local radio station that two passengers were killed while three others were wounded on board the Superferry 9, listing off the coast of Zamboanga peninsula for more than seven hours.

Tamayo told Xinhua that more than 800 of the ferry's almost 1, 000 passengers and crew members have been transferred to the two cargo vessels that stood by.

Tamayo said the navy has also sent ships to assist the rescue.

Superferry 9 sailed out of the southern city General Santos Saturday night and is expected to reach central city of Iloilo late Sunday. It requested rescue at around 3:30 a.m. local time ( 07:30 GMT).

Field reports filed from the regional coast guard office obtained by Xinhua stringers said the ferry is soon to capsize.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Marine-time tragedies are a commonplace in the Philippine archipelago. A ferry carrying 862 on board sank in a typhoon in the central Philippines last summer. More than 800 people were killed or remain missing.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2009)