Five dead and 86 missing as ‘heartbreaking’ fire breaks out on Philippines ferry

At least five people have died and 86 are missing after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines, the country’s coastguard said.

The MV June Aster, which set off from Manila ferrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members, was nearing its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron when it caught fire.

The blaze, which erupted at 18:45 local time (10:45 GMT) Wednesday, was still burning as of 11:00 on Thursday. The strong currents and thick smoke were a challenge to those working to extinguish it, the coastguard said.

A survivor says he was in the sea for two hours before he got rescued. “It was cold. If the rescue was delayed, I would definitely have died,” Roland Lerma told the BBC.

Video clips shared by the coastguard on Wednesday night showed the vessel engulfed in flames and people being pulled out of the water into rescue boats.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the coastguard said.

The coastguard said preliminary interviews with the survivors suggest the fire started in the cargo hold, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, the coastguard said. Some passengers were not wearing life vests, they noted.

Forty-three people have been rescued but it is unclear how many have sustained injuries.

Seven of the survivors were taken to a hospital in Culion, a larger neighbouring island, which has higher bed capacity and more comprehensive healthcare services.

A first responder told the BBC they had never seen such a disaster in Coron, calling it “really heartbreaking”.

“I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night,” they said, adding that the ferry was an hour away from its destination.

The survivors were taken to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, which sits just north of Marcilla. The state of their injuries is unclear.

Anelyn Magbanua is among those anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.

Her husband Marlon had spent a few days in Manila visiting their two children, who were going to school in the capital city.

Magbanua last heard from him while the ferry was passing through a village about two hours from the port in Coron, she tells the BBC.

“I was expecting that the ferry will arrive at the pier at between 18:00 and 19:00 yesterday,” she said, adding that she had gone to bed early but was awakened by a cousin who told her the ferry Marlon was on had caught fire.

“I couldn’t describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night,” Magbanua says.

She’d travelled to a hospital in Coron, hoping to find Marlon among the survivors – but he remains unaccounted for.

“My two-year-old son and I are outside the hospital as we speak. We have nothing but ourselves,” she says.

Rai Garcia has three family friends among those missing.

Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, who is the sister of Garcia’s brother-in-law, had travelled to Luzon to attend her father’s funeral, accompanied by her husband Elyzer Navoa and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy.

They had been travelling home to El Nido in Palawan on board the vessel when it caught fire.

“We haven’t received any news yet. That’s why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates,” Garcia says.

“We still hope and pray for their safety.”

Garcia and his family made a poster to appeal for information of the family of three using a photo Mae had taken on the ferry and shared with immediate relatives.

Others have posted on the Philippine Coast Guard’s Facebook page asking for information of their missing loved ones. “Please can you find my sibling,” read one comment.

Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands.

Inter-island ferries are a cheap way to move people and cargo between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air.

But there is always the risk of severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons which can cause turbulent conditions. The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year.

Past accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety laws.

In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out at a passenger ferry in the country’s south-western tip. The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was on its way to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port in the main southern island of Mindanao.

But with 86 still missing, this ferry disaster could prove to be among the worst to have happened in the Philippines in recent years.

Additional reporting by Joel Guinto