Philippines Ferry Inferno Leaves Five Dead, 87 Missing As Rescue Operations Continue

At least five people were killed and 87 remained unaccounted for after a fire broke out aboard a passenger ferry near a tourist destination in the Philippine province of Palawan, the country's coast guard said on Thursday. The blaze erupted aboard the M/V June Aster on Wednesday evening, when the vessel was about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore. The incident triggered a large search-and-rescue operation as authorities worked to determine the whereabouts of passengers and crew members who had not yet been accounted for. The Philippine Coast Guard said five casualties had been brought ashore after the fire broke out.

Video released by the coast guard on Facebook showed the ferry completely engulfed in flames, with thick smoke rising from the vessel. The scale of the blaze created difficult conditions for rescue teams as efforts continued to bring survivors to safety and account for everyone listed on the ship's manifest. Coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab said 42 people had been rescued so far, including 38 passengers and four crew members. However, authorities were still unable to establish the condition or whereabouts of all those aboard.

Cayabyab said the vessel's manifest listed a total of 134 passengers and crew, while 87 people remained unaccounted for based on the latest information available to authorities. She stressed that the figures were preliminary and could change as search-and-rescue operations continued. “Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday. She also said authorities had not yet been able to obtain information from the rescued passengers because officials had not been able to speak with them.

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The lack of immediate information from survivors added to the uncertainty surrounding the final number of people rescued, missing or affected by the incident. Efforts to extinguish the fire were continuing as rescue teams searched the surrounding waters. The coast guard's account did not immediately provide details about what caused the fire or whether any specific part of the vessel caught fire first. Authorities were focused on rescue and firefighting operations while attempting to establish a more complete picture of the incident.

The number of missing people could therefore change as officials receive further information and reconcile the manifest with those rescued and brought ashore. Tracking information from MarineTraffic showed that the M/V June Aster had departed from Manila. The ferry was operating near Palawan when the fire occurred, about 2.2 kilometres offshore. With five deaths confirmed, 42 people rescued and 87 still unaccounted for according to the coast guard's latest live figures, the search operation remained ongoing. Authorities were expected to continue rescue efforts and update the numbers as more information became available.

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