Philippine ferry fire kills 5, 87 missing

Five individuals lost their lives and 87 others remain missing following a fire that broke out on a ferry near a popular tourist destination in the Philippine province of Palawan, according to the coast guard. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening approximately 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore. The coast guard reported that five casualties had been rescued and brought ashore.

A video posted on the coast guard's Facebook page depicted the vessel fully engulfed in flames. The coast guard captain, Noemi Cayabyab, informed a local radio station that based on the available data, 42 people have been rescued, while 87 individuals are still unaccounted for. The ship's manifest listed 134 passengers and crew members.

Out of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew members. Cayabyab stated that the information is live and subject to change as the search and rescue operations continue. Attempts to communicate with the rescued individuals have not been successful so far. The June Aster ferry had originated from Manila prior to the incident.