MANILA – At least five people have been killed, and 87 remain missing after a fire broke out on board a ferry in the Philippines, near a popular tourist destination in the province of Palawan, according to the country’s coastguard.
It said that the fire erupted on Wednesday evening on board the M/V June Aster about 2.2km (1.3 miles) offshore, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.
Video shared by the coastguard on Facebook showed much of the vessel engulfed in flames.
Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station yesteday that 42 people had been rescued so far, according to AFP news agency.
“Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for,” she said, adding that the ship’s manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew.
“Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change, as our search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Cayabyab said.
AL JAZEERA
