(MANILA) - At least five toxic pesticides and other poisonous substances are still on board a Philippine ferry that sank during a typhoon and left nearly 800 people dead, a report released Monday said.

The toxins were not leaking out of the Princess of the Stars ferry, according to the findings submitted by a UN-European Union team in a report to the Philippine government.

There were "five pesticides in two different containers on the ferry," the team, which surveyed the wreck site, said in a joint statement. Their report was not released to the public.

One 40-foot container was found to hold some 10 metric tonnes of endosulfan, an agricultural chemical banned in most countries such as the United States. Five other pesticides were found in another 10-foot container.

"The report confirms the presence of large quantities of five pesticides and other toxic substances, and recommends improvements to water, sediment and air monitoring, and the establishment of a bio-monitoring programme," the team said.

The experts also pressed for a "comprehensive disposal plan" to be implemented ahead of any salvage operation.

The ferry sailed into the eye of Typhoon Fengshen on June 21 after its owners ignored weather bulletins.

Only 58 of the ferry's 850 passengers and crew survived the tragedy. More than 700 bodies remain trapped inside the capsized vessel.

"This terrible disaster confirmed the need for improvement in the safety practices of the inter-island shipping industry in the Philippines," the UN-European Union statement said.

The EU's environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said "no leakage of chemicals or oil from the wreck has been detected."

"I hope that the suggestions made by our experts concerning sampling procedure, biomonitoring and precautionary measures will help ensure that this dreadful tragedy does not also turn into an environmental disaster," he said.

The sinking of the ferry has become one of the country's worst maritime disasters and was the latest in a string of sea tragedies involving Sulpicio Lines vessels.

The company said it hopes to begin salvaging the vessel next month.

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