Passengers on board a ferry to the Philippines' Palawan province were jolted into chaos on Wednesday night, when a fire broke out on the vessel. Frantic cries pierced the night sky as hot air filled the boat, recalls Roland Lerma, one of more than 100 passengers aboard the MV June Aster. Five people have died and 86 people are missing after the fire, which, in a country where shipping accidents are not uncommon, could become one of the deadliest maritime disasters the Philippines has seen.
Families are anxiously awaiting news about their loved ones on board, while survivors like Lerma are coming to terms with their harrowing escape. Speaking to the BBC from a hospital in Coron, Lerma recalled that as the fire spread and he scrambled to get off the burning boat, he slipped and fell. "When I was on the floor, people were trampling me," said the 30-year-old.
He started crawling until he could find his footing again, before leaping off the vessel into the sea. He said he saw children who had also jumped in the water, though he could not make out their faces in the dark. "When I hit the water, I ditched all my possessions - the clothes I was wearing, phones, bags - so that I could float," he said.
Lerma said he floated on his back for about two hours before rescuers arrived and pulled him and other survivors out of the water. If the rescue had been delayed, I would have definitely died last night," he said. Lerma, who works in construction, is from Leyte province.
He had travelled to the capital Manila with five of his neighbours, where they boarded the ferry to bring them to work at Coron, a popular tourist spot in Palawan province. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the MV June Aster departed Manila's Port of Baseco on Tuesday night at 20:13 local time ( ) and was scheduled to arrive at the Coron port at 18:00 on Wednesday. But the ferry caught fire just 1.2 nautical miles (2.2km) off the coast of Coron's Marcilla village.
The fire was first reported at 18:45 local time on Wednesday night by a staff member of Atienza Shipping Lines, which owns the boat, the Coast Guard said. The company said in a statement on Thursday that it was co-operating fully with authorities and expressed "profound sadness" about the fire. Authorities say a survivor had told them the flames had started in the cargo hold after a loud explosion.
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