Two people were killed on Sunday when a ship listed before sinking off the southern Philippines as hundreds were rescued in an operation involving naval and civilian vessels, officials said.

The ship sank about six nautical miles off the west coast of Zamboanga peninsula on Mindanao island, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.

Rescuers were five hours into an operation to evacuate 847 passengers listed on board the Philippines-flagged Superferry 9, which was on its way to the central port of Iloilo from General Santos City in the south.

The crew of 117 had earlier tried to save the vessel.

"We have two (fatalities)," Rear Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, the coastguard chief, earlier said on local radio, adding that three people were hurt.

He did not disclose details about the deaths and injuries. Earlier, authorities said some people had jumped into the water in panic before dawn as the vessel began to tilt to the right.

It was unclear if there were any further fatalities.

"About 800" of the 847 passengers had been evacuated by the time the vessel slid underwater, Teodoro said.

Regional coastguard chief Commodore Rudy Isorena said the cause of the accident was not yet clear and the weather in the area had not been too bad.

"We cannot say yet as to the cause as the attention right now is being given to the search and rescue of passengers," he said.

"The ship shifted suddenly and some people just panicked," Roger Sicharon, one of the passengers from the stricken vessel, earlier told DZMM radio by mobile phone as he waited to be transferred to another ship by life raft.

"The crewmen are skilled. I trust them," he said, adding that the sea had calmed down after sunrise. He said the ship started listing just after 2am (6pm GMT Saturday).

Abandon ship

Tropical storm Dujuan, off the Philippines' northeast coast, has heightened the seasonal southwest monsoon winds, bringing rough weather across the country, according to the weather bureau here.

The Superferry 9 issued a distress signal around 4am (8pm GMT Saturday) as it tilted in heavy seas, authorities said.

"The ship captain ordered the passengers to abandon the vessel," said Jess Supan, vice president of the shipping line WG&A.

Ferries, from large steel-hulled ones such as the Superferry 9 to small wooden dugouts with bamboo outriggers form the backbone of mass transport in the archipelagic nation of 92 million people.

Deadly accidents are common, especially during the typhoon season in the middle of the year.

The world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster occurred south of Manila in 1987 when a ferry laden with Christmas holidaymakers collided with a small oil tanker, killing more than 3000 people.

AFP

It's JZ, leave a message... "Hi, this is Zuma. You know what to do. No, no... not the machine gun. Leave a message..."

Finding love in Zululand Susan Pletts ventures into Zululand and discovers that SA's hidden treasures are its people.

Visit our politics page Need the latest political news, features, interviews and profiles? Visit our dedicated page...