Nine missing after ferry catches fire in the Philippines

A general view shows smoke erupting from M/V Asia Philippines Starlite shipping vessel at an anchorage area in Batangas, Philippines, on late Friday, August 26, 2022. - Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters

MANILA, Aug 26, 2022 (AFP): A ferry caught fire off a port near the Philippine capital Manila on Friday, leaving nine people missing and one injured, the coast guard said.

Emergency services rescued 73 of the 82 people who had been on board the MV Asia Philippines as it burned near the port of Batangas, a coast guard statement said.