MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- Filipino Coast Guard rescuers knocked on the overturned hull of a capsized ferry Sunday evening, hoping to hear signs of life among the 749 missing passengers, a Red Cross official said.
No sounds were returned, and the Coast Guard wrapped up their rescue mission for the night. Rough seas, spawned by Typhoon Fengshen, prevented divers from swimming under the capsized vessel.
"It's a race against time," said Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the Philippines Red Cross.
The typhoon has killed at least 141 people in the Philippines, he said. Another 255 people are missing as a result of the storm, most of them fishermen.
The massive ferry -- built to hold about 2,000 people -- flipped over about a mile off the shore of Sibuyan Island early Saturday as Typhoon Fengshen pummeled the Philippines.
Officials said the ship was carrying 130 crew members and more than 600 passengers. Four bodies have been retrieved, and another two have been spotted but the Coast Guard could not get to them because of the heavy seas, Gordon said.
Four people survived, and Gordon hopes the U.S. military will quickly grant a request that the U.S. Navy assist in the search-and-rescue mission
"We need help of seaborne helicopters that can get on top of the vessel," Gordon said. The choppers can deliver divers who can help "recover people who may be alive under the ship," he said.
It is unclear if the missing passengers are underneath the overturned vessel. There has been no sign of survivors on nearby islands nor any sightings of flotsam that might indicate a life raft or possibly a body, Gordon said.
The MV Princess of Stars began its daylong journey from Manila to Cebu City around 8 p.m. Saturday, when the typhoon was a Category 1 storm with winds up to 95 mph. The storm gained strength and created dangerous conditions during the southern half of the vessel's voyage.
Gordon said the families of the ferry passengers are "very bitter about the situation." They are upset not only that the ferry was cleared to leave during the tumultuous weather conditions, but also about the way Sulpicio Lines, which operates the ferry, has handled the situation.
"People are upset that they were allowed out," Gordon said. "Also, the owners don't have a good record. They've had a lot of accidents in the past, and people are pouncing on them right now."
Gordon said he was able to speak to the ship's janitor.
"He said the seas were so huge, they were like mountains," Gordon said. "The ship's captain ordered everyone to abandon ship at 12:45 a.m. Saturday morning."
The first Coast Guard ship arrived just before 2 p.m. Sunday, and divers immediately began searching for survivors.
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