A ferry with over 800 passengers and crew on board has sunk after colliding with a cargo ship near the Philippine city of Cebu. The coastguard said the MV Thomas Aquinas listed after hitting the Sulpicio Express Seven Cargo vessel and the captain gave the order to abandon ship. Officer Joy Villegas said the collision occurred on Friday evening close to the shore. The ferry was travelling from Cebu to Manila. At least 24 people including children were confirmed dead, 572 were rescued and 274 were still unaccounted for, the coastguard said. Two rescue vessels were dispatched and other boats helped to get passengers out of the water. Danny Palmero, a former fisherman, said he was with friends who responded to the ferry’s distress call and rescued seven people on their motorized outrigger canoe. “I saw many flares being shot,” he said. “As a former nautical student, I knew it was a distress signal.” Rachel Capuno, a security officer for the ferry’s owners 2Go, told Cebu radio station DYSS that the vessel was sailing into port when it collided head-on with the cargo ship.