Listen to this articleDear 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. A fire broke out on a passenger ferry in waters off the western Philippines, leaving dozens of people missing, the coast guard said on Thursday. At least five people died. So far, 42 people have been rescued and efforts continue, so the count of 87 missing people may change, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said in a radio interview. The ferry MV June Aster had left Manila and was near Coron in Palawan province when the fire started on Wednesday. Footage from the scene showed the ferry was still on fire. Coast guard personnel threw life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned at the bottom. Passengers were helped onto smaller boats that took them to shallow waters and body bags were placed in what looked like a port. Bad weather and large waves challenged rescuers, and ocean currents had carried the ferry several nautical miles from its initial location, Cayabyab said. The ferry MV June Aster had left Manila and was near Coron in Palawan province when the fire started on Wednesday. (Philippine Coast Guard/Reuters) It said 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. “Based on the data we have now, about those rescued and the victims, we are still looking for 87 people,” he told DZXL radio. Cayabyab said it was still unclear what caused the fire and that the coast guard is coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to obtain more details. Ferries are a common method of transportation in the Philippine archipelago. Maritime accidents are not uncommon due to storms, vessels in poor condition, overcrowding and irregular application of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces. In 1987, the Dona Paz ferry sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
