At least five people were killed and 86 remain missing after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan, the coast guard said Thursday. The blaze broke out on the M/V June Aster Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore. The coast guard has confirmed that five casualties have been brought ashore. The vessel was completely engulfed in flames, as seen in a video shared by the coast guard on Facebook. Hundreds of people have been desperately seeking information about the incident on social media, searching for their loved ones.
Captain Noemi Cayabyab of the Philippine Coast Guard told a local radio station on Thursday that, based on current data, 87 people are unaccounted for. The ship's manifest listed 134 passengers and crew. Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew. Hours later, the coast guard reported that another person had been rescued, but their identity had yet to be confirmed. Cayabyab clarified that the data is live and may change as search and rescue operations continue.
There were no immediate reports of foreigners on board. Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the June Aster had departed from Manila. This incident follows a series of maritime disasters in the Philippines, including a triple-decker ferry that sank off the southern Philippines in January, killing at least 52 people. Another ferry, the Lady Mary Joy 3, caught fire in 2023, resulting in 31 deaths.
FAQs
{"question":"How many people were on board the M/V June Aster?","answer":"The ship's manifest listed 134 passengers and crew."}
{"question":"How many people have been rescued?","answer":"42 people have been rescued, including 38 passengers and four crew members."}
{"question":"What caused the fire on the ferry?","answer":"The cause of the fire is not yet known and is under investigation."}
{"question":"Are there any reports of foreigners on board?","answer":"There were no immediate reports of foreigners on board."}
