Philippine ferry fire kills five, 87 missing coast guard

At least five individuals lost their lives and 87 remain missing following a fire on a ferry near a popular tourist destination in the Philippine province of Palawan, according to the coast guard. The inferno aboard the M/V June Aster erupted approximately 2.2 kilometers offshore. The coast guard reported that five individuals had been rescued and brought to shore.

Video footage uploaded by the coast guard to Facebook depicted the vessel engulfed in flames. As of now, based on the available information, 42 individuals have been rescued, while 87 people are still unaccounted for, the coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab informed a local radio station. She emphasized that the ship's manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew members.

Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew members, she added. However, the coast guard has not been able to communicate with the rescued individuals, as they have not been willing to speak with them, she noted. Attempts to extinguish the blaze are ongoing. Tracking data from MarineTraffic indicated that the June Aster departed from Manila.