A huge fire engulfed the passenger ferry MV June Aster off the coast of Coron in the Philippines, leaving at least five people dead and 87 unaccounted for, as coastguard officials continue search and rescue operations hampered by strong currents and poor weather conditions.
At least five people have been killed and 87 remain missing after a fire broke out aboard a passenger ferry off the coast of the Philippines. The blaze erupted aboard the MV June Aster near Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan province, on Wednesday evening, roughly 2.2km (1.3 miles) off Palawan island. The vessel had been carrying 134 people in total, including 117 passengers and 17 crew members, according to local media reports. So far, 42 people have been rescued, the coastguard has confirmed.
Scale of the search operation
Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station: “Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for. Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing.” Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew members, Cayabyab said, adding that officials had not yet been able to speak directly with the survivors to gather further information.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the June Aster had departed from Manila before the fire broke out. Video footage from the scene showed the ferry fully engulfed in flames, with further clips appearing to show people being pulled from the water during the rescue effort.
A coastguard spokesperson said in a social media post: “A total of 42 individuals have been rescued, while five casualties were initially reported and brought to the Barangay Turda Covered Court in Coron, Palawan. The casualties will be turned over to Coron Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) for proper disposition. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard District Palawan and other responding units continue to conduct systematic search operations within the vicinity waters of Coron, Palawan.”
Difficult conditions hampering rescue efforts
Emergency services confirmed that search and rescue operations remain ongoing, though difficult weather conditions have complicated the response, with strong currents pushing the burning vessel further out to sea. A coastguard spokesman said: “The weather [last night] was poor, and the waves in the area were strong.” He added: “Reports from our vessel indicate strong currents in the area,” noting that the vessel had drifted from its initial distress location, four nautical miles off Barangay Turda, to a point 7.68 nautical miles away.
According to the coastguard’s account, the fire broke out approximately 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla, having departed from Baseco in Manila at around 8pm on Wednesday before heading south towards Coron.
Local fishermen join the rescue effort
Local fishermen played a significant role in the rescue operation, using smaller boats to bring survivors from the burning vessel towards shore. Coastguard footage showed civilian boats operating alongside official rescue personnel, underlining the contribution of local residents to the immediate emergency response.
Condition of the survivors
Details of the rescued passengers’ condition have begun to emerge. Of the 42 people rescued, six had been discharged from hospital, while 33 remained hospitalised. Three survivors were reported to be in critical condition and were being treated at Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital. Rescued passengers were taken to a covered court in Barangay Turda, where local authorities have been providing assistance and working to identify those brought ashore.
Effort to identify the missing
Coron’s local government has released dedicated telephone hotlines for relatives searching for missing passengers, and has appealed to families and acquaintances to come forward with information to help build a more accurate passenger list. The coastguard has stressed that the current figure of 87 missing remains provisional, as investigators continue working to identify survivors and reconcile the rescued against the ferry’s official manifest.
Safety questions raised
Philippine authorities have already begun examining possible safety violations connected to the ferry, including whether the vessel may have been overloaded and whether passengers were adequately supplied with life jackets. Coastguard officials said some survivors were found without life jackets, while others may have jumped into the water to escape the flames.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, with authorities now coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities as part of the investigation. The inquiry is examining not only what caused the fire itself, but also whether proper safety procedures were followed before and during the emergency, particularly regarding the availability of life jackets and whether the vessel was carrying more passengers than permitted. Should investigators establish that the vessel or its operator breached safety requirements, the reports of survivors without life jackets could become a significant part of the resulting findings.
