At least five killed in ferry fire in Philippines, 87 missing
At least five people were killed and another 87 remained unaccounted for after a fire broke out on the M/V June Aster ferry near the province of Palawan in the Philippines. The fire started on the evening of September 9, about 2.2 km from shore, Channel NewsAsia reports, citing the Philippine Coast Guard.
Passengers and crew
According to the coast guard, the vessel's manifest listed 134 passengers and crew members. Rescuers saved 42 people: 38 passengers and four crew members. The bodies of five victims were brought ashore.
Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab said the figures were preliminary and could change as the search-and-rescue operation continued. According to her, at the time of the report, rescuers had not yet been able to speak with the survivors and obtain additional information from them.
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The fire aboard the vessel was being extinguished
In a video released by the coast guard on Facebook, the ferry was completely engulfed in flames. At the time of the report, efforts to extinguish the fire aboard the vessel were also ongoing.
Data from the MarineTraffic service indicated that the M/V June Aster had departed from Manila.
