5 dead, 86 missing as ferry catches fire off Palawan
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—At least five people were killed and 86 remain missing after a fire broke out on a passenger ferry as it was nearing the tourist town of Coron in Palawan province on Wednesday night, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday.
The blaze broke out on MV June Aster past 6 p.m. Wednesday while the vessel was about 2.2 kilometers offshore northeast of Coron’s Barangay Marcilla. Video shared by the PCG on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames.
Hundreds of people, desperate for news about the incident, have left comments on the Facebook page of Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, searching for relatives, friends and even a dog.
“Based on the data we have right now on rescued [passengers] and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for,” Capt. Noemi Cayabyab, PCG spokesperson, told a local radio station on Thursday.
Authorities initially counted 42 survivors, some of them crew members. “It was confirmed that after the survivors were brought to the hospital, the correct count is 43. The casualty [count] remains five,” said Lt. Junior Grade Aileen Ausente, spokesperson for the Coast Guard District Palawan.
The survivors were initially taken to a covered court at Barangay Turda and later transferred to the Coron District Hospital and other medical facilities, while the fatalities were turned over to the Coron municipal disaster risk reduction and management office.
Reyes reported that a 7-year-old boy rescued from the ferry had been transferred to Culion General Hospital on Wednesday night.
The ship’s manifest had listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members when it left the Manila port at 8:13 p.m. Tuesday. Cayabyab said it was scheduled to arrive in Coron at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
At a press conference in Manila, Cayabyab told reporters that survivors recalled hearing a loud explosion at the ship’s cargo hold before the fire broke out.
The fire emergency was reported to the PCG around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, said Cayabyab, and that they were able to deploy responders within 10 minutes.
Search and rescue personnel as well as investigators have yet to board the vessel due to thick smoke that is coming out and that there is still fire inside.
Transparency
“What we see as a challenge has been the strong winds. That’s the limitation and external factor no matter how we try to extinguish the flames. But according to our coast guard station commander in the area, we no longer detect fire at the ferry. What we are considering is safety should our personnel board the vessel. They may suffocate so we really need to ensure the boat is safe before we climb aboard,” Cayabyab said.
She added that they have alerted nearby localities to be on the lookout for survivors so they can be immediately brought to safety.
Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., which owned and operated the 53-meter vessel, said it is coordinating with maritime authorities to make sure that the ongoing search and rescue operations “will continue uninterrupted.”
“We are committed to full transparency and will provide further updates as verified information becomes available from the rescue teams and authorities. Our hearts are with the affected families, and we will not rest until all individuals are accounted for,” it said in a statement.
“We have deployed specialized care teams to assist the families of the injured and missing, providing lodging and transportation services,” the company added.
There were no immediate reports of foreigners on board the vessel.
In January, a ferry carrying more than 340 people sank off Basilan province in Mindanao, killing at least 52 people.
MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank along nearly the same route where 31 people died in March 2023 after a fire broke out aboard the roll-on, roll-off vessel MV Lady Mary Joy 3. —WITH A REPORT FROM AFP
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