Fire on Philippine ferry kills 76, identification of victims begins
Philippine rescuers have recovered 41 more charred remains from the MV June Aster ferry, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for, authorities said on Saturday. The discovery came as forensic teams began the painstaking task of identifying the victims, a process that could take weeks or months.
The ferry, carrying more than 130 people, caught fire on Wednesday evening as it neared its destination of Coron in Palawan province, after departing from Manila on a journey of more than 20 hours. The coast guard said the fire started in the cargo hold and spread rapidly, with survivors reporting a loud explosion before smoke and flames engulfed the vessel.
Firefighters entered the ferry for the first time on Friday after extinguishing the blaze, gaining access to areas that had been hard to reach because of thick smoke and extreme heat. The Coast Guard said burnt remains were discovered in the ferry's economy accommodation section. Images released by the Coast Guard showed the scale of the destruction inside the vessel, with rows of steel bed frames twisted by intense heat and blanketed in ash.
Thirty bodies recovered on Friday were brought to a port in Coron town, where temporary tents were set up for forensic teams to process and identify the dead. Responders in protective suits were seen carrying black body bags from a Coast Guard vessel into the tents as anxious family members waited nearby for news of their loved ones.
"I hope he is not among the dead being brought off the ship. I hope he is alive and has only drifted to another island," said Anelyn Magbanua, 37, whose husband was returning to Coron when the ferry caught fire. "It will be very difficult to accept if he's really gone," she added.
Identification could take weeks or months
Forensic specialists from the Philippine National Police have begun collecting and comparing DNA samples from the remains, which are largely charred. Richard Allan Mangalip, a forensic specialist, told reporters on Sunday that most of the remains were in a charred condition and that the volume of specimens made it difficult to provide a firm timeline for identification. "It could be weeks, or it could be months," he said.
Family members have been asked to help identify victims with personal items or DNA samples. The coast guard has said the immediate priority is to identify the victims and determine the cause of the fire, which has not yet been established. Investigators have yet to fully search flooded sections of the vessel, including lower decks and the engine room, where evidence could help establish the cause.
The ferry, built in 2002, held valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March, according to the Palawan Daily. The vessel's operator, Atienza Interisland Ferries, has pledged full cooperation with the inquiry, which will look into potential manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response protocols.
Rescue efforts and survivor accounts
The fire continued burning for more than a day, releasing heat and toxic fumes that impeded search and rescue operations. It took more than 40 hours before rescuers could board the ship. The coast guard and other vessels rescued 43 people, some plucked from the dark waters as the ferry burned.
Survivor Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva described the harrowing escape in a video broadcast by News5: "The fire quickly spread. That's when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned," he said, adding that he jumped from a window. "I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic."
Coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said survivors did not have time to put on life jackets. "From the time that they heard the loud explosion, the appearance of smoke, and then fire. It spread very quickly," she said. "Everything happened in seconds."
Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, reducing the number of missing to 84 after the initial count. The ferry's manifest listed 134 people on board, including 117 passengers and 17 crew. The 53-meter vessel had the capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew.
Official response and investigation
The Maritime Industry Authority, citing survivor accounts, said two explosions were heard inside the vessel shortly before the fire broke out. Coast guard official Geronimo Tuvilla said at a press conference on Saturday that the immediate priority was to identify the victims and determine the cause of the fire.
Cayabyab said authorities were looking for the ship's captain, who reportedly survived but is not listed among the survivors. A multiagency maritime safety and criminal investigation will examine all angles, including the possible liability of the captain and crew, and whether fire emergency procedures were followed.
Ferries are a common transportation method in the Philippine archipelago, and sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces. In 1987, the ferry Doña Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in what remains the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.