US Navy diver jumps into the water beside the sunken Philippine ferry  'Princess of the Stars' off Sibuyan island, 25 Jun 2008

Divers from the U.S. Navy are joining their Philippine counterpartsWednesday, in the search for more victims inside a passenger ferry thatcapsized during the onslaught of Typhoon Fengshen.

More than 800passengers and crew were on board the "Princess of the Stars" when itsank off the central island of Sibuyan. Philippine coast guard andnaval officials say divers have found the bodies of 15 people floatingin one section of the ship, many without life jackets.  

About 50 more bodies have been discovered floating several kilometers away from the wreckage.

U.S.President George Bush pledged American help with the rescue effortduring a meeting Tuesday with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo at theWhite House.

The Philippine coast guard says more than 40 people from the ferry have turned up alive.

Philippinetransportation authorities have banned the ship's owner, SulpicioLines, from operating while they conduct an investigation.

Sulpiciois one of the largest ferry operators in the Philippines and it hasbeen involved in three other disasters. In 1987, its Dona Paz ferrycollided with a tanker, and more than four thousand people died.

Meanwhile,Fengshen made landfall on southern China as a tropical stormWednesday. The region has been plagued by torrential rainstorms, andflooding this month has killed scores of people and forced theevacuation of nearly two million residents.

Some information for this report was provided by and Reuters.