At least five people are dead and 86 are missing after a fire tore through a passenger ferry approaching the Philippine tourist destination of Coron in Palawan, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation that remained under way on Thursday.
The MV June Aster departed from Baseco in Manila carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members, bound for Coron, a popular destination known for its diving sites, beaches, and island-hopping attractions. The blaze erupted at 18:45 local time on Wednesday. The blaze was still burning as of 11:00 on Thursday.
A total of 43 people have been rescued, including two Chilean nationals, according to Aileen Ausente, a coast guard spokesperson in Palawan. Seven survivors were taken to a hospital in Culion, a larger neighbouring island with greater bed capacity. Others were brought to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, just north of Marcilla. The extent of their injuries is unclear. Air assets were on standby, weather permitting.
Based on the vessel’s manifest, the number of survivors and the fatalities reported so far led authorities to estimate that more than 80 people remained unaccounted for, although the figures could still change. The coast guard said multiple vessels and other assets were searching for survivors.
Fire, smoke, and currents
Coast guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said rescuers could not yet enter the vessel, with the search hampered by thick smoke still billowing from the ferry and concerns about extreme heat and the risk of explosions. The burned ferry had drifted farther from its original location overnight, carried by currents and winds. Rescue teams used drift-modelling tools to identify areas where people may have been carried by currents.
Video clips shared by the coastguard showed the vessel engulfed in flames and people being pulled out of the water into rescue boats. Drone footage released later showed the blackened ferry surrounded by clear blue-green waters, still generating smoke hours after the fire broke out.
The cause remains under investigation. Preliminary interviews with survivors suggest the fire started in the cargo hold, the compartment where containers and goods are stored, and some passengers were not wearing life vests, the coast guard noted.
Survivors and the missing
Roland Lerma, a survivor, told the BBC he floated in the sea for two hours before being rescued. “It was cold. If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died,” he said.
Rai Garcia has three family friends among the missing. Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, the sister of Garcia’s brother-in-law, had travelled to Luzon to attend her father’s funeral, accompanied by her husband Elyzer Navoa and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy. They had been travelling home to El Nido in Palawan when the vessel caught fire.
“We haven’t received any news yet. That’s why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates,” Garcia said. “We still hope and pray for their safety.” Garcia and his family made a poster appealing for information, using a photo Mae had taken on the ferry and shared with immediate relatives. Others posted on the Philippine Coast Guard’s Facebook page asking about missing loved ones. “Please can you find my sibling,” read one comment.
A first responder told the BBC they had never seen such a disaster in Coron, calling it “really heartbreaking.” “I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night,” they said. The ferry was an hour away from its destination when the fire began.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands where millions rely on boats to travel between provinces. Inter-island ferries are a cheap way to move people and cargo between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air. The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year. Past accidents have been blamed on poor maintenance, overcrowding, rough weather, and uneven enforcement of safety regulations. In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out on the MV Lady Mary Joy 3, which was on its way to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port in the main southern island of Mindanao. With 86 still missing, this ferry disaster could prove to be among the worst to have happened in the Philippines in recent years.