At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan, the coast guard said Thursday.The fire aboard the M/V June Aster broke out Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore, the coast guard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.Video shared by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames."Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for," coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday, adding the ship's manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew."Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," she said.Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, Cayabyab said."However, we have not yet been able to obtain information from the rescued individuals because we have not been able to speak with them," she said, adding attempts to put out the blaze were ongoing.

At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines. The M/V June Aster had 134 passengers and crew aboard, with 42 rescued as search and rescue operations continue.

At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan, the coast guard said Thursday. The fire aboard the M/V June Aster broke out Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore, the coast guard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore. Video shared by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames. "Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for," coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday, adding the ship's manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew. "Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," she said. Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, Cayabyab said. "However, we have not yet been able to obtain information from the rescued individuals because we have not been able to speak with them," she said, adding attempts to put out the blaze were ongoing.

At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines. The M/V June Aster had 134 passengers and crew aboard, with 42 rescued as search and rescue operations continue.

Ferry catches fire in Philippines: 5 dead, at least 87 unaccounted for in Palawan | VIDEO

A fire on an inter-island passenger ferry in the southern Philippines has left at least 31 people dead, the coast guard said on Thursday. Among those dead is a six-month-old baby. Authorities are trying to identify the cause of the fire that started close to 11 pm on Wednesday off the island of Basilan. When the fire started, most of the passengers were asleep in air-conditioned cabins on the ferry's lower deck.

"Initially, we recovered 10 people in the water, they died of drowning. And then we discovered another 18 on board the vessel, in the cabins. They were totally burnt," Commodore Rejard Marfe, coast guard chief in the southern Mindanao region, told Reuters.

The local governor updated the toll later to 31.&nbsp;

"We initially have 13 deaths recorded, then we have 18 new deaths, so it's now 31 deaths," Basilan Governor Jim Hataman&nbsp;Salliman told AFP. 
 
“Many of those rescued had jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in panic at the height of the fire and were plucked from the sea by the coast guard, navy, another ferry and local fishermen,” the governor added. 
 
The number of those on board isn't fully clear, but officials say the ferry wasn't overloaded. The coast guard said a total of 230 people, including 35 crew were rescued. Marfe added that "there was chaos" on the ferry after the fire started. 
 
Firefighters brought the blaze under control early on Thursday.&nbsp;The burned ferry was towed to the shore where coast guard personnel and other authorities found 18 more bodies.

Photos shared by the Coast Guard showed the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 ship completely charred.

"I thought I was dreaming but when I opened my eyes, it was dark and we were surrounded by smoke," Mina Nani, 46, a survivor, told DZRH.

She says she jumped off the boat and shared a floater with another passenger before they were rescued.

The Philippines has had several maritime accidents, with vessels often overcrowded and many ageing ships still in use. In May, at least seven people died after a fire in a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people.

The worst of these incidents happened in 1987 when around 5,000 lost their lives after an overloaded passenger ferry Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker off Mindoro island south of the capital, Manila.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A fire on an inter-island passenger ferry in the southern Philippines has left at least 31 people dead, the coast guard said on Thursday. Among those dead is a six-month-old baby.

A fire on an inter-island passenger ferry in the southern Philippines has left at least 31 people dead, the coast guard said on Thursday. Among those dead is a six-month-old baby. Authorities are trying to identify the cause of the fire that started close to 11 pm on Wednesday off the island of Basilan. When the fire started, most of the passengers were asleep in air-conditioned cabins on the ferry's lower deck. "Initially, we recovered 10 people in the water, they died of drowning. And then we discovered another 18 on board the vessel, in the cabins. They were totally burnt," Commodore Rejard Marfe, coast guard chief in the southern Mindanao region, told Reuters. The local governor updated the toll later to 31. "We initially have 13 deaths recorded, then we have 18 new deaths, so it's now 31 deaths," Basilan Governor Jim Hataman Salliman told AFP. “Many of those rescued had jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in panic at the height of the fire and were plucked from the sea by the coast guard, navy, another ferry and local fishermen,” the governor added. The number of those on board isn't fully clear, but officials say the ferry wasn't overloaded. The coast guard said a total of 230 people, including 35 crew were rescued. Marfe added that "there was chaos" on the ferry after the fire started. Firefighters brought the blaze under control early on Thursday. The burned ferry was towed to the shore where coast guard personnel and other authorities found 18 more bodies. Photos shared by the Coast Guard showed the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 ship completely charred. "I thought I was dreaming but when I opened my eyes, it was dark and we were surrounded by smoke," Mina Nani, 46, a survivor, told DZRH. She says she jumped off the boat and shared a floater with another passenger before they were rescued. The Philippines has had several maritime accidents, with vessels often overcrowded and many ageing ships still in use. In May, at least seven people died after a fire in a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people. The worst of these incidents happened in 1987 when around 5,000 lost their lives after an overloaded passenger ferry Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker off Mindoro island south of the capital, Manila. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

At least 31 dead after Philippine passenger ferry with over 230 onboard catches fire

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Ferry catches fire in Philippines: 5 dead, at least 87 unaccounted for in Palawan | VIDEO

At least 31 dead after Philippine passenger ferry with over 230 onboard catches fire