Five Dead, Over 80 Missing After Philippine Ferry Catches Fire

Manila (GNP): The death toll from a ferry fire off Palawan island in the western Philippines has reached five, with 86 people still missing, as search and rescue operations continue into a second day, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Thursday.

The fire broke out aboard the MV June Aster on Wednesday night, roughly 1.2 nautical miles off the coast of Marcilla village in Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan province known for its beaches and Second World War shipwrecks. The vessel’s manifest listed 134 passengers and crew in total, with 43 rescued so far. Coast Guard officials said rescue efforts have been hindered by strong waves, which caused the burning vessel to drift further from shore, complicating recovery operations.

The ferry had departed from Baseco in Manila and was bound for Coron when the fire broke out. Authorities said the figures for casualties and missing persons may continue to change as search operations proceed, with officials describing conditions at sea as difficult amid ongoing bad weather.

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Families of passengers have described an anguished wait for information about their loved ones. Anelyn Magbanua, whose husband Marlon was among those aboard the vessel, said she had been informed of the fire by a relative on Wednesday night after expecting her husband’s safe arrival. Magbanua said she has been crying and praying since receiving the news, and travelled with her young son to wait outside the hospital in Coron for updates. Officials have since told her that her husband has not been located among the rescued.

The MV June Aster incident is among the more serious maritime disasters to strike the Philippines in recent years, a country of more than 7,100 islands where ferry travel remains a primary mode of transport between provinces and where maritime accidents occur with some regularity. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and authorities have not indicated a timeline for concluding the search and rescue operation.