AlQa'dah 04, 1433, September 20, 2012, SPA -- Seven people drowned and five were missing when a passenger boat sank Thursday in the southern Philippines, dpa quoted the coast guard as saying. Fifteen passengers were rescued after the accident off Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi province, 1,080 kilometres south of Manila, the boat's destination. The coast guard said initial investigation showed the boat sank after being battered by big waves as it neared Bongao. It came from Sipangkot Island, about 40 kilometres away. Rescue teams from the coast guard, the Philippine Navy and the police were searching for the missing.