A fire broke out aboard the passenger ferry MV June Aster off the coast of Coron, Palawan, in the western Philippines on Wednesday evening. The confirmed death toll has climbed sharply as recovery crews worked through the wreckage, reaching 76 dead by Sunday, with search and rescue crews continuing to work through rough seas to account for those still missing.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it received a distress report around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday indicating the vessel was engulfed in flames roughly 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla in Coron. The June Aster, operated by Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., had departed Baseco Port in Manila the previous evening and was bound for the port of Coron.
Who Was Aboard
The vessel’s manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members, for a total of 134 people on board. As of Thursday morning, the Coast Guard had reported 43 people rescued, 5 confirmed dead, and 86 still missing, but that early toll proved far short of the final count: by Sunday, the confirmed death toll had risen to 76, with 43 survivors and roughly a dozen people still unaccounted for as recovery crews continued to find remains in the burned hull. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab cautioned throughout that the figures reflected live, ongoing data likely to keep changing as operations continued.
What Caused the Fire
The cause of the fire has not been officially established, and the Coast Guard said an investigation is underway. At least one survivor reported hearing a loud explosion coming from the cargo hold shortly before the blaze took hold. Authorities have not confirmed what cargo the vessel was carrying or whether it played a role in the fire’s origin or spread.
Search and Rescue Effort
Coast Guard ships and response boats, a Philippine military vessel, other government craft, private volunteers, and local fishing boats have joined the search for survivors. Rescue crews have described difficult conditions, with bad weather and heavy waves complicating efforts to reach the burned hull and to search the surrounding waters for people who may have gone overboard.
Coron, part of Palawan province, is a popular gateway to the Calamian Islands and is normally reached from Manila by air or by interisland ferry service. Passenger vessels remain one of the most common ways to travel between the Philippines’ more than 7,000 islands, and ferry disasters have periodically drawn scrutiny of maritime safety standards in the country.
What Happens Next
Philippine authorities have not yet said when the search phase might end or transition to a longer-term recovery operation. Families of those aboard have been directed to the Coast Guard and Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. for updates, and officials have said passenger and crew lists will continue to be verified as rescues and recoveries are confirmed.
Sources: Philstar · CBS News · The National
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