At least five people died and dozens more are feared missing after a ferry caught fire on Wednesday in the Philippines.
The BBC reports the passenger-cargo vessel MV June Aster caught fire in the waters off the coast of Coron, Palawan, a popular tourist destination in the Asian nation.
According to information from the Philippine Coast Guard (PGC), 134 individuals — 117 passengers and 17 crew members — were aboard the stricken vessel, which departed from the Port of Baseco in Manila on Tuesday.
At least five people are dead and 87 remain missing after a vessel caught fire off the coast of the Philippine province of Palawan. (Photo by Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The ferry was scheduled to dock at the Port of Coron on Wednesday evening at 06:00 p.m. (local time), however, the Coast Guard reportedly received an incident alert at 06:45 p.m. and immediately deployed a response within five minutes.
As press time, there are five confirmed deaths and 43 survivors. The whereabouts of the remaining 87 people on board remain undetermined and deemed “possibly missing,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab detailed on Thursday morning.
The spokesperson stressed that the “fire is still not out” on the ferry as of Thursday morning. Cayabyab stated that a “comprehensive investigation” will be conducted, but noted that the vessel had underwent a compliance inspection earlier this year.
Drone footage shared by the Philippine Coast Guard with international outlets shows smoke still emanating from the charred ferry hours after the fire broke out on Wednesday evening.
The Philippine Coast Guard detailed on its official Facebook page that the survivors were immediately turned over to Coron local authorities and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Coron for assistance. No risk of oil spill has been detected by the Coast Guard as it continues search and rescue operations to find the missing 87 individuals.
A spokesperson from the ferry’s owner company, Atienza Interisland Ferries, expressed the company’s “profound sadness and deep concern” over the blaze in a statement shared with the BBC, stating that they are cooperating with local authorities to determine the exact cause of the fire.
“We are working around the clock and have mobilized all available resources to manage this crisis,” the spokesperson reportedly said.
One of the survivors, identified as 30 year-old construction worker Roland Lerma, detailed to the BBC that he had traveled to Manila with five neighbors — three of which are currently in an hospital, and two who are still missing as of Thursday morning. He reportedly recounted that he heard a “sudden bang” after having dinner in the ferry followed by a “dark, thick smoke.”
“After a minute, a fire broke out. I couldn’t see anything. It was also hot. People started shouting and crying. They panicked,” the man told the BBC, and added that he eventually managed to jump off the boat after being nearly trampled, using his personal belongings to help him float.
According to the man’s testimony, he spent about two hours in the water with other survivors before rescue.
The BBC also spoke with the wife of one of the 87 missing persons, who said, “I can’t describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night.”