The death toll from a ferry fire in the Philippines has risen to 35, after the Philippine Coast Guard recovered 30 additional bodies from the wreckage of the vessel.
The MV June Aster caught fire on Wednesday while travelling towards Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan, after departing from Manila. More than 130 people were aboard the ferry when the blaze broke out during its 22-hour journey.
Authorities said 43 people were rescued, with several survivors taken to hospitals for medical treatment. More than 50 people remain unaccounted for as rescue teams continue searching the vessel and surrounding waters.
The Coast Guard said toxic fumes and intense heat prevented rescuers from boarding the ferry earlier. They were only able to enter the vessel on Friday, where they discovered additional bodies, most of them in the sleeping area.
Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said authorities were following established procedures to recover and identify the victims. She also expressed sympathy to families affected by the disaster.
Preliminary interviews with survivors indicate that the fire may have started in the cargo hold. Coast Guard officials also said some passengers were not wearing life jackets when the emergency occurred, potentially making the situation more dangerous.
One survivor described scenes of panic after the fire began, telling the BBC that he heard passengers screaming and was knocked down and trampled as people attempted to escape the burning vessel.
The Philippines’ maritime authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and whether safety procedures were properly followed.
The ferry, which was built in 2002, reportedly had valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March. However, investigators are examining several issues, including possible discrepancies in the passenger manifest, the way cargo was loaded and the crew’s response to the emergency.
The vessel was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members at the time of the incident.
Atienza Interisland Ferries, the company operating the MV June Aster, has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.
The company said its thoughts remained with the families affected and that it would continue working with authorities until everyone who was on board had been accounted for.
The disaster has raised fresh concerns about maritime safety in the Philippines, where ferries are widely used to connect the country’s thousands of islands.
As search and recovery operations continue, authorities are working to identify the recovered victims and determine exactly what caused the deadly fire.
