A massive search operation is underway in the western Philippines after a passenger ferry caught fire near the tourist destination of Coron, killing at least five people and leaving dozens missing at sea.
The MV June Aster was travelling from Manila to Coron in Palawan when fire broke out at around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the vessel's manifest listed 134 people on board 117 passengers and 17 crew members. By Thursday morning, 42 people had been rescued and five bodies recovered, leaving 87 people unaccounted for based on the initial figures. Reuters later reported 43 survivors. Authorities have stressed that the numbers remain fluid as rescuers identify survivors and verify the passenger list.
The ferry was already close to Coron when the emergency began. It issued a distress signal while roughly four nautical miles from Turda village, but strong currents and winds carried the burning vessel farther out to sea, complicating the rescue. Coast Guard ships, high-speed response boats, a military vessel, private boats and local fishermen joined the search, while authorities alerted nearby ships and coastal communities to watch for survivors who may have been carried away by the water. Images released by the Coast Guard showed the June Aster engulfed in flames during the night, while rescuers pulled survivors from the sea. Hours later, the blackened vessel remained afloat but listing and continued to emit smoke.
The condition of the ferry has also made searching it difficult. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said rescuers were unable to immediately enter because of intense heat, thick smoke and fears that parts of the vessel could explode. Authorities are using drift modelling to estimate where missing passengers may have been carried by the currents, while aircraft have been placed on standby if weather conditions allow. At least two Chilean nationals were reportedly among those rescued.
What caused the fire remains unknown. One survivor reportedly suggested it may have started in the cargo hold, but authorities have not confirmed that account. The Coast Guard is working with the shipping company and maritime authorities as part of the investigation. Officials are also examining possible safety violations, including whether the ferry was overloaded and whether passengers had been provided with life jackets. Some of those rescued were reportedly found without them.
The disaster has once again drawn attention to maritime safety in the Philippines, where ferries are not simply an alternative form of transport but an essential part of everyday life. The country is made up of more than 7,600 islands, leaving millions dependent on passenger vessels to travel between provinces. But the Philippines also has a long history of deadly maritime accidents involving overcrowding, poor vessel maintenance, severe weather and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
That history includes the 1987 Doña Paz disaster, when a passenger ferry collided with an oil tanker and sank, killing more than 4,300 people in what remains the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster. More recently, 18 people were killed when another ferry sank off Basilan earlier this year.
For families waiting in Palawan, however, the history matters less than the search happening now. Dozens of people remain missing somewhere in the waters around Coron, and currents have already carried the burned ferry kilometres from where the distress call was first made. As rescue vessels continue searching the sea and nearby coastline, authorities are racing against time to find anyone who may still be alive.
