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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MANILA — Five people were confirmed dead in early counting and more than 80 were still missing after a ferry caught fire off Palawan island in the western Philippines on Wednesday night, the Philippine coast guard said.
Forty-three people were rescued from the MV June Aster in waters off Coron, Palawan, the coast guard said. Footage showed flames engulfing parts of the vessel and responders placing victims in body bags.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said 42 people were rescued overnight from the vessel after it was engulfed in flames about 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla, Coron.
The ship had sailed from Baseco port in Metro Manila and was bound for Coron, a municipality in Palawan province. It was operated by Atienza Interisland Shipping Line.
Coast guard vessels and other ships sailed to the area and were searching the surrounding waters, a Philippine Coast Guard statement on Facebook said.
The vessel's manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members on board, Cayabyab said.
Based on the reported number of survivors and fatalities, 87 people were unaccounted for, Cayabyab told DZXL radio on Thursday morning. He added that the figures might change as the rescue operation continued.
In an update later on Thursday morning, the PGC said one more person had been rescued, taking the total to 43, and 86 remained missing.
"[The cause of fire] is still being investigated. Actually, of the 42 rescued last night, 38 were passengers and 4 were crew members. However, we cannot get information from them yet, so we will wait," Cayabyab said. "We are also in coordination with the shipping company and definitely that will be part of our investigation."
Rescue efforts were being hampered by bad weather and the vessel being "dragged away from shore by the current," Cayabyab added.
Ferry accidents are common in the Philippines. In January, a passenger and cargo ferry carrying more than 350 people sank in Basilan province in the south of the country, resulting in at least 58 deaths, according to the PCG. Government data indicates there were 202 "serious" accidents at sea in 2024 alone.
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