The Philippine Coast Guard is racing against time to rescue more passengers from a vessel that capsized near Manila in strong winds, killing at least 20 people.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board, but disaster official Neil Ferrer told DZRH radio 40 people had been rescued and a search is ongoing for six missing people.

Members of the coast guard were seen pulling a body of what looked like a woman without a life vest from choppy waters as they carried out search and rescue operations, a video shared by the coast guard showed.

The boat was about 45 metres from land when it was hit by strong winds, prompting all passengers to panic and move to one side, which caused the vessel to capsize off the waters of Binangonan, the PCG said.

Binangonan is a coastal town two hours’ drive from the capital, Manila.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7600 islands, was this week hit by Typhoon Doksuri, which brought winds of up to 175km/h to its northern and most populated Luzon island.

Some ferries and boats were allowed to sail on Thursday after Doksuri left the Philippines.

The south-east Asian nation has a poor record for maritime safety, with vessels at times overcrowded and many ageing ships still in use.