KABUL (Pajhwok): At least five people have been killed and 87 remain missing after a fire broke out aboard a ferry near the tourist destination of Coron in the Philippines’ Palawan province, Al Jazeera reported.
The fire erupted on Wednesday evening aboard the M/V June Aster, about 2.2 kilometres offshore, according to the country’s coastguard. Video released by the coastguard showed much of the vessel engulfed in flames.
Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab said 42 people had been rescued, including 38 passengers and four crew members, according to AFP.
“Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for,” she said, stressing that the figures could change as search and rescue operations continued.
The vessel’s manifest listed 134 passengers and crew. Reuters reported that 43 people had been rescued by Wednesday night.
The ferry had sailed from Manila and was near Coron when the fire broke out. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
Maritime accidents are relatively common in the Philippines, where poor vessel maintenance, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations have been blamed for previous disasters.
In January, a ferry carrying more than 350 people sank off Baluk-baluk Island, killing at least 18 people.
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