RESCUERS raced to extinguish a fire that erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot, killing at least five people and leaving 86 others missing, according to the coast guard.
The blaze broke out on the MV June Aster on Wednesday evening about 2.2km off the coast of Palawan province, the coast guard said, adding that at least five bodies as well as 43 survivors had been brought ashore.
The coast guard has yet to establish the cause of the fire, but said one survivor reported hearing a “loud explosion” from the cargo hold.
“After that there was smoke and fire. As per the testimony of the survivor, it escalated quickly.
“After seconds, the fire started spreading,” coast guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab told reporters yesterday.
With the fire not yet extinguished, rescuers have been unable to search the vessel, Cayabyab said, adding that some people may still be trapped inside.
Waiting for nearly 24 hours for updates about the missing, hundreds of people desperate for news about the incident have left comments on the Facebook page of a local mayor, searching for relatives, friends and even a dog.
The ferry’s manifest listed 134 passengers and crew.
Of the 43 rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, said Cayabyab.
The identity of another survivor was not immediately clear.
“Most of the people we rescued had been swimming away from the vessel,” Cayabyab said.
She added that many were in a state of shock, and comprehensive interviews that could shed light on the incident will only take place later on.
As the search continued for the 86 people presumed missing, coast guard, military personnel and local responders were working to tamp down the thick smoke billowing from the ferry.
The ferry, which left from the capital Manila and was headed for the town of Coron, is currently aground on an island in Palawan province.
Cayabyab said the vessel had passed safety inspections.
Ferry travel is a common mode of transport in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, where millions of people rely on boats to travel between provinces.
The country has a patchy maritime safety record, and many previous ferry disasters have been linked to overcrowding, rough weather and lax enforcement of safety regulations.
In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying over 340 people sank off the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people. — AFP/Reuters
