- Published
At least five people have died and 86 are missing after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines, the country's coastguard said.
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coastguard → publish → Philippines
The MV June Aster, which set off from Manila ferrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members, was nearing its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron when it caught fire.
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it → set → fire
The blaze, which erupted at 18:45 local time (10:45 GMT) Wednesday, was still burning as of 11:00 on Thursday.
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which → erupt → Thursday
The strong currents and thick smoke were a challenge to those working to extinguish it, the coastguard said.
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coastguard → work → it
A survivor said he floated in the sea for two hours before he got rescued.
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he → say → hours
If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died," Roland Lerma told the BBC.
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Lerma → delay → BBC
Video clips shared by the coastguard on Wednesday night showed the vessel engulfed in flames and people being pulled out of the water into rescue boats.
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people → share → boats
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the coastguard said.
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coastguard → remain → investigation
The coastguard said preliminary interviews with the survivors suggest the fire started in the cargo hold, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, the coastguard said.
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coastguard → say → hold
Some passengers were not wearing life vests, they noted.
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they → wear → vests
Forty-three people have been rescued but it is unclear how many have sustained injuries.
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many → rescue → injuries
Seven of the survivors were taken to a hospital in Culion, a larger neighbouring island, which has higher bed capacity and more comprehensive healthcare services.
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which → take → capacity
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, adding that the ferry was an hour away from its destination.
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ferry → tell → destination
The survivors were taken to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, which sits just north of Marcilla.
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which → take → Marcilla
Rai Garcia has three family friends among those missing.
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Garcia → have → those
Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, who is 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.
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who → travel → husband
They had been travelling home to El Nido in Palawan on board the vessel when it caught fire.
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it → travel → fire
"We haven't received any news yet.
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We → receive → news
That's why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates," Garcia says.
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Garcia → have → updates
"We still hope and pray for their safety."
Garcia and his family made a poster to appeal for information of the family of three using a photo Mae had taken on the ferry and shared with immediate relatives.
Others have posted on the Philippine Coast Guard's Facebook page asking for information of their missing loved ones.
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Others → hope → ones
"Please can you find my sibling," read one comment.
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comment → find → sibling
Inter-island ferries are a cheap way to move people and cargo between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air.
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some → move → air
But there is always the risk of severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons which can cause turbulent conditions.
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which → be → conditions
The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year.
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country → affect → typhoons
Past accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety laws.
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accidents → blame → laws
In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out at a passenger ferry in the country's south-western tip.
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fire → die → tip
But with 86 still missing, this ferry disaster could prove to be among the worst to have happened in the Philippines in recent years.
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disaster → miss → years
The Aporia
