At least five dead and 86 missing after fire breaks out on ferry in Philippines

by · TheJournal.ie

AT LEAST FIVE people have been killed and 86 remain missing after a fire broke out onboard a ferry off the western Philippines.

The blaze broke out on the M/V June Aster on Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres offshore, the country’s coastguard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.

The ferry had sailed from the capital Manila and was near its destination of Coron in the province of Palawan when the fire started.

Video shared by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames.

A still from a video taken by the Philippine Coast Guard of the fire onboard the ferry. Philippine Coast GuardPhilippine Coast Guard

Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station that 43 people have been rescued from the vessel.

“We are continuing search and rescue operations,” said Cayabyab, with a coastguard ship and high-speed response boats joined by a military vessel and other government boats, private volunteers and fishermen.

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The coastguard made a radio broadcast to ships nearby to be on the lookout for passengers of the ferry. It has also coordinated with coastal villages in case some passengers drifted to the shore.

Images of the night-time rescue efforts showed coastguard personnel throwing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water.

In this image provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a survivor is assisted as he alights from a small boat after being rescued from the burning ferry. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

Bad weather and big waves challenged rescuers. The ferry was around four nautical miles off the village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles off Turda.

Cayabyab said it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold, and the coastguard was coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to get more details.

She said 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. There was no information about any foreigners on board.

In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying more than 340 people sank off the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people.

The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank along nearly the same route where 31 people died in 2023 after a fire broke out aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.

With reporting from Press Association