Philippines Ferry Fire: 35 Dead, 54 Missing as Bodies Recovered Near Coron

The bodies of passengers killed in a ferry fire off the Philippines were brought to a port near the resort town of Coron in Palawan on Saturday, as the country’s coast guard warned that the death toll from the disaster could rise further.

AFP witnessed tents being erected at the port to receive 30 bodies recovered from the M/V June Aster, which ran aground near the popular tourist destination after a fire erupted on Wednesday evening and swept through the vessel within seconds.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab said at a press conference on Saturday that the remains would be handed over to police forensic investigators for identification and proper handling before authorities notify the victims’ families.

“Currently, we are focused on the retrieval, and after that we will proceed with the investigation,” Cayabyab said, confirming that the bodies were recovered from the ferry’s economy accommodation area.

Police forensic investigators arrived at the port shortly after the press conference.

Cayabyab said authorities would later provide an update on how many bodies remained aboard the vessel.

She had told AFP on Friday evening that the initial transfer was limited to 30 bodies because of the capacity of the patrol vessel transporting them. Additional bodies were still believed to be aboard the ferry.

Five other people had been confirmed dead shortly after the fire broke out.

Photos released by the coast guard showed rows of body bags being transferred to a small vessel, with personnel wearing hazmat suits nearby.

So far, 30 passengers and 13 crew members have been rescued, while 54 people remain unaccounted for.

Fire Spread Within Seconds

Cayabyab said the fire began in the cargo hold before rapidly spreading throughout the vessel.

“From the time that they heard the loud explosion, the appearance of smoke, and then fire. It spread very quickly,” she said on Friday, citing survivors’ accounts.

“Everything happened in seconds,” she added, saying some passengers who escaped the vessel did not even have enough time to put on life jackets.

Family Members Search for Missing Relatives

The disaster has left families desperately searching for loved ones.

Myra Cabilan told AFP that she had travelled by air to Coron in search of her missing brother, 40-year-old Rammel Gonzaga, who had boarded the ferry from Manila for a business trip with his brother-in-law.

“His wife had just given birth a month ago. He was so happy he was given a daughter,” Cabilan said through tears.

“At dawn, I still believed he survived. But he’s still missing. I have lost hope.”

Hundreds of people seeking information about the disaster have also flooded the Facebook page of a local mayor with comments, searching for missing relatives, friends and even a pet dog.

134 Listed on Ferry Manifest

The ferry’s manifest listed 134 passengers and crew, although two people reportedly did not board, according to the coast guard.

The vessel was also carrying cargo, including an electric vehicle, a pickup truck and motorcycles.

The Philippines, an archipelago of about 116 million people, has a long history of deadly accidents involving inter-island ferries.

Millions of people rely on relatively inexpensive boats and ships to travel between the country’s more than 7,000 islands, despite recurring safety concerns and accidents.

In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying more than 340 people sank in the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people.

The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank along a route close to where 31 people were killed in 2023 when a fire broke out aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.

The company that owns the M/V June Aster, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc, said on Thursday that it was fully cooperating with the investigation into the disaster.