Philippines Ferry Fire Death Toll Rises to 76 as Recovery Continues

The death toll from the MV June Aster ferry fire in the Philippines has risen to 76, after authorities recovered 41 bodies from the wreckage, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday.

More than 130 people were aboard the vessel when it caught fire on Wednesday as it approached Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan, after departing from Manila. The Coast Guard said 43 people survived, although several remain in hospital, while 13 people are still unaccounted for.

Recovery operations were delayed by toxic fumes and intense heat inside the wreckage, preventing authorities from boarding the vessel until Friday.

Geronimo Tuvilla, a Philippine Coast Guard official, said the immediate priorities were to identify the recovered victims and determine the cause of the fire.

Authorities are working with relatives to identify the remains through personal belongings and DNA testing.

Kristine Ablana, a tourism official in Coron, said families were being asked to provide DNA samples after identifying photographs or personal belongings believed to belong to their relatives.

Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said preliminary accounts indicated that the fire began in a cargo hold before spreading rapidly through the vessel.

She said survivors reported hearing a loud explosion, followed by smoke and flames, adding that the fire spread so quickly that many passengers who escaped the vessel did not have time to put on lifejackets.

A survivor rescued by a boat told the BBC that panic broke out almost immediately, with passengers screaming and scrambling to escape. He said he was trampled by other passengers as he attempted to flee the burning vessel.

The ferry, built in 2002, reportedly had valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March. However, investigators are examining possible discrepancies in the passenger manifest, the integrity of the cargo loading process and the crew’s emergency response procedures, according to the Palawan Daily.

Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel’s operator, has pledged its full cooperation with the investigation.

Meanwhile, recovery efforts continue as authorities work to account for the missing passengers and provide families with confirmation of the fate of their loved ones.