confirmed. MV Princess of the stars is in the bottom of the ocean

MANILA, Philippines - A ferry carrying about 700 people was stranded in wind-whipped waters off the coast of the central Philippines as Typhoon Fengshen battered the country, killing 17.

Coast guard chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said the MV Princess of Stars was "dead in the water" after its engine failed around noon Saturday near the central Philippine island of Sibuyan. Port captain Nestor Ponteres said the ferry's owner Sulpicio Lines had lost radio contact with the ship.

A rescue vessel sent to the area was forced to return to its home port in Batangas city because of big waves, Cebu coast guard spokesman Cmdr. Antonio Cuasito said. Another rescue ship was deployed from central Cebu city, where the Princess of Stars was headed when it left Manila late Friday, but it was unclear when it would reach the area.

Nathaniel Cruz, chief government weather forecaster, said Typhoon Fengshen packed sustained winds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour and gusts of up to 122 mph (195 kph) and flooded wide areas on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao and central Panay island.

In southern Maguindanao province, at least 14 people drowned in flash floods, including 10 who were swept away from riverside homes, said provincial administrator Norie Unas. Five others were missing.

In nearby Cotabato city, a 50-year-old man and his 10-year-old grandson were killed when a landslide buried their hillside shanty, Mayor Muslimin Sema said.

In neighboring Cotabato province, authorities recovered the body of a farmer, one of three people reported missing.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo directed the defense and local government departments to stand by for relief and rescue missions.

Officials said neck-deep flood waters had risen further with a high tide, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 people in Sultan Kudarat township in southern Shariff Kabunsuan province, near Cotabato city.

Officials ordered the evacuation of more than 117,000 people from areas prone to floods and landslides in central Albay province. But many returned home by midday Saturday after the typhoon missed the area.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported flooding, landslides and power outages caused by toppled power pylons in many areas in the central Philippines.