The fire aboard the M/V June Aster broke out Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore, the coast guard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.
At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan, the coast guard said Thursday.
The fire aboard the M/V June Aster broke out Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore, the coast guard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.
Video shared by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames.
“Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for,” coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday, adding 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,” she said.
