Fire on passenger ferry in Philippines leaves dozens missing and at least 5 dead

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire burned overnight on a passenger ferry off the western Philippines, leaving dozens of people missing Thursday and killing at least five.

So far, 43 people have been rescued, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said. The ferry MV June Aster was afloat but listing after the fire, which started Wednesday evening, was put out. Tendrils of smoke still wafted over the charred vessel by midday.

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

The coast guard 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 nighttime rescue efforts showed coast guard personnel tossed life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

The ferry had sailed from the capital Manila and was near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire started around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Bad weather and big waves challenged rescuers. The ferry was around 4 nautical miles (7.4 kilometers) off Coron’s village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers) off Turda.

Cayabyab said it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold, and the coast guard 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 onboard.

Ferries are a common transportation method in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz 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.