The death toll from a Philippine ferry fire has risen to 76, with 13 people still missing, after search teams recovered additional remains from the passenger vessel off Palawan province. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement on Saturday that 41 more charred bodies were retrieved from the ferry. M/V June Aster was sailing from Manila, carrying 132 passengers and crew, when a blaze engulfed its lower decks on Wednesday evening, just 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) off its destination of Coron, in northern Palawan.
Rescuers pulled 43 survivors from the water that night. Investigators, citing survivor accounts, reported hearing successive explosions before flames swept rapidly through the passenger areas. Safety procedures and the ship captain’s actions during the early minutes of the disaster are under formal review, maritime officials said.
The ferry operator, Atienza Interisland Ferries, issued a statement committing to “full transparency” and assisting affected families with lodging, transportation and medical care as investigations continue.
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