At least five dead, 87 missing as Philippine ferry catches fire

At least five people have perished and eighty-seven remain missing following a ferry fire in the Philippine province of Palawan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. The coastguard reports that 42 individuals have been rescued, while the ship's manifest indicated there were 134 passengers and crew on board. Authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish the blaze.

The fire onboard the MV June Aster erupted on Wednesday evening, about 2.2 kilometers offshore, local time. The coastguard stated that five casualties have been brought ashore. A video shared by the coastguard on Facebook depicted the vessel ablaze.

As of now, 87 people are unaccounted for, according to Philippine Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab, who spoke to a local radio station on Thursday. She confirmed that 42 people had been rescued, with the ship's manifest listing 134 passengers and crew. The rescued individuals consist of 38 passengers and four crew members, she added.

Currently, attempts to control the fire are ongoing. Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, according to Captain Cayabyab. However, obtaining information from the rescued individuals has proven challenging, as communication with them has not yet been established.

Captain Cayabyab emphasized that the data regarding rescued individuals and casualties is live and subject to change, given the ongoing search and rescue operations. The MV June Aster departed from Manila prior to the incident.