Five dead and 86 missing as 'heartbreaking' fire breaks out on Philippines ferry
The fire broke out as the vessel nearing its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron in Palawan.
Five dead and 86 missing after ‘heartbreaking’ fire erupts on Philippines ferry
At least five people have died and 86 are missing after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines, the country’s coastguard said.
The MV June Aster, which departed from the capital Manila carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members, was approaching its destination of Coron, a tourist destination in the province of Palawan, when it caught fire.
The blaze, which started at 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday, was still burning at 11:00 on Thursday. The coastguard said strong currents and bad weather were making it difficult for those trying to put it out.
A first responder told the BBC they had never witnessed a disaster like this in Coron, describing it as “really heartbreaking”.
“I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night,” the first responder said, adding that the ferry was an hour away from its destination.
Video clips released by the coastguard on Wednesday night showed the vessel wrapped in flames and people being pulled from the water into rescue boats.
“Reports from our vessel indicate strong currents in the area,” a coastguard spokesman told the BBC, noting that the ferry had drifted from its original distress location — four nautical miles off Barangay Turda — to a point 7.68 nautical miles away.
“It has been carried further out by the current. These are the challenges our personnel are facing in the search area.”
The coastguard said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, adding that it had not yet spoken to any of the 43 people who were rescued.
The survivors were brought to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, just north of Marcilla. The extent of their injuries is not clear.
Anelyn Magbanua is among those waiting anxiously for news of loved ones.
Her husband Marlon had spent several days in Manila visiting their two children, who were attending school in the capital.
Magbanua last heard from him while the ferry was passing through a village about two hours from the port in Coron, she told the BBC.
“I was expecting that the ferry will arrive at the pier at between 18:00 and 19:00 yesterday,” she said, adding that she had gone to bed early but was awakened by a cousin who told her the ferry Marlon was on had caught fire.
“I couldn’t describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night,” Magbanua says.
She went to a hospital in Coron hoping to find Marlon among the survivors, but he is still missing.
“My two-year-old son and I are outside the hospital as we speak. We have nothing but ourselves,” she says.
Rai Garcia has three family friends among the missing.
Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, the sister of Garcia’s brother-in-law, had travelled to Luzon for her father’s funeral, together with her husband Elyzer Navoa and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy.
They were travelling home to El Nido in Palawan aboard the vessel when it caught fire.
“We haven’t received any news yet. That’s why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates,” Garcia says.
“We still hope and pray for their safety.”
Garcia and his family made a poster asking for information about the family of three, using a photo Mae had taken on the ferry and shared with immediate relatives.
Others have posted on the Philippine Coast Guard’s Facebook page seeking information about missing loved ones. “Please can you find my sibling,” read one comment.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands.
Inter-island ferries are an inexpensive way to transport people and cargo between islands, some of which cannot be reached by air.
But there is always the danger of severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons, which can create rough conditions. The country is hit by an average of 20 typhoons each year.
Previous accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and inconsistent enforcement of safety laws.
In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out on a passenger ferry in the country’s south-western tip. The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was travelling to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port in the main southern island of Mindanao.
But with 86 still missing, this ferry disaster could turn out to be among the worst in the Philippines in recent years.