A PENSIONER from the North-East has told of his dramatic escape from a sinking Filipino ferry.

Former RAF weapons technician Brian Daly woke in his bunk at 4.30am to find the boat, MV Trans Asia Malaysia, listing heavily.

After battling their way to the deck, Mr Daly and his wife, Jonnah, jumped for their lives into an inflatable liferaft.

The couple were rescued by an oil tanker, before the 75-year-old, originally from Leadgate, near Consett, County Durham, was taken to hospital with abdominal injuries.

All 140 passengers and crew survived the sinking, which occurred while the ferry was sailing between the island of Cebu and the city of Iloilo in the Philippines, on July 31.

The couple were returning home after celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary.

Mr Daly, who has lived in the Philippines for the last eight years, said: “There had been nobody knocking on cabin doors to alert the passengers, no announcements to go the mustering stations and no announcement to put on life jackets.”

They made their way to the muster station which was below deck and Mr Daly became concerned they would be trapped if the boat capsized.

The pensioner, whose sister Lorna Moxey still lives in Leadgate, said: “I took control and instructed everyone to go the upper open deck . Without panicking they ascended into the darkness.

“It looked like a scene from the Titanic - except the steep angle ran the full length of the ship and anything lose or not bolted down slipped down to the water’s edge.”

Passengers made their way to the port side and waited for the inflatable life boats to be pulled into position by crew members.

“Just as I leaped, the inflatable swung to one side and came up with the swell even higher than before. This caused me to jump and land on my right side.”

The raft, containing about ten passengers, was manouvered next to the tanker and the ten passengers climbed up a rope onto the deck.

Others were pulled from the sea by fishing boats and another ferry.

“As we moved away, the Malaysia started to roll more on its side and we saw disappear beneath the waves.

“We lost everything we had, including our personal possessions, passports and money, and only had the clothes we were wearing, but at least we survived.”

Mr Daly, who teaches English to professionals in the Philippines, spent six days in hospital.

The owners of the ferry have denied that unsecured cargo caused the Malaysia to tilt to its right side and sink.