A relative of a ferry passenger cries as she waits for information inside the Sulpicio Lines office in Cebu on Sunday. (Reuters)

Cebu (Philippines), June 22 (Reuters): More than 800 people were missing today after a Philippine ferry capsized in a typhoon that has killed scores and left a trail of destruction across the archipelago.

Sulpicio Lines, the owner of the MV Princess of Stars, revised up the number of people missing to 845 after discovering an extra 100 passengers on the ship’s manifest. Only four people are so far known to have survived the ferry disaster and they said many did not make it off the ship in time.

Crowded life-rafts sank in cold, storm-tossed seas.

“Many of us jumped, the waves were so huge, and the rains were heavy,” a survivor identified as Jesse told local radio.

“There was just one announcement over the megaphone, about 30 minutes before the ship tilted to its side. Immediately after I jumped, the ship tilted, the older people were left on the ship.”

Four people have been confirmed dead. Children’s slippers and life jackets have washed ashore.

There were 724 passengers and 121 crew on board, including at least 20 children and 33 infants.

In the central city of Cebu, where the Princess of Stars was meant to dock, dozens of relatives maintained a vigil at a small passenger terminal, waiting for news.

“The last time I heard from my son was on Friday evening when the ship left Manila. He texted to say he was coming home,” said Celecia Tudtud, a mother of four.

“I really hope he’s all right,” she said, wiping away tears.

A spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who flew to the US yesterday night, said she would not cut short her eight-day state visit, which includes meeting President George W. Bush in the White House on Tuesday.

A coastguard vessel was trawling the waters around the 23,824 tonne ferry, which is upside down with only its bow above the waves, trying to confirm reports some passengers had made it to a small island.

“We are hoping more people will have reached the shoreline,” vice admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, the head of the coastguard, told Reuters.

The Princess of Stars ran aground yesterday but the coastguard was unable to reach it because of huge swells and bad weather caused by Typhoon Fengshen, which crashed into the central Philippines on Friday.

At least two other coastguard vessels were en route to help in rescue efforts and Tamayo said he hoped divers would be able to scour the submerged ship.

Typhoon Fengshen, with maximum gusts of 195kmph, has killed at least 155 people in central and southern Philippines, with the western Visayas region, famed for its sandy beaches and sugar plantations, the worst affected.

In Iloilo province, 101 people were reported dead after flood waters over 2m high engulfed communities, forcing tens of thousands to scramble onto the roofs of their homes.

“Iloilo is like an ocean. This is the worst disaster we have had in our history,” governor Neil Tupaz told local radio.

In neighbouring Capiz, more than 2,000 houses were destroyed in the provincial capital and officials were struggling to make contact with communities further afield.

“We got hit really bad this time,” said Richard Gordon, the chairman of the Philippines’ Red Cross.