At least five people are dead and 86 remain unaccounted for after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines, the country's coastguard says
The fire engulfed the MV June Aster as it was taking 134 passengers and crew to Coron - a place popular with tourists - Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab says 43 people have been rescued
The family of passengers face an anxious wait for updates on their relatives, the BBC's Virma Simonette Rivera reports from Manila
"I can't describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night," a woman whose husband is missing tells the BBC
An official who helped take injured people to hospital describes the incident as "really heartbreaking"
Maritime accidents are common in the archipelago nation of 7,100 islands, but the ferry fire could turn out to be one of its worst
As we've been reporting, rescuers are still looking for at least 86 people after a vessel travelling from Manila to Coron, in the Palawan province, caught fire.
The BBC's Jake Kwon explains in this video what we know about the fire so far.
Watch: What we know about the fatal Philippines ferry fire
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
Roland Lerma, 30, travelled to Manila with his five neighbours before heading to work in Coron. Three of his colleagues are now in hospital on the island, and two are missing.
The construction worker from Leyte province says it was after dinner when they heard a "sudden bang, then there was a dark, thick smoke" from the boat.
"After a minute, a fire broke out. I couldn’t see anything. It was also hot. People started shouting and crying. They panicked," he tells me.
Roland says he ran near to the edge of the boat to jump, but slipped before reaching the edge. "When I was on the floor, people were trampling all over me," he recalls.
He eventually managed to jump off the boat, using his belongings to help him float, and says he saw children jumping off too.
They were in the water for two hours before rescue came. "If it was delayed, I would definitely have died last night," he says.
Roland says the boat was old, and no one was wearing life jackets.
Image source, Virma Simonette Rivera/BBCRoland (R) with a fellow construction worker and survivor of the ferry fire after receiving treatment in hospital
Image source, EPASmoke emanating from the burnt passenger ferry M/V June Aster off Coron
At least five people have died and 86 people remain unaccounted for after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines.
At approximately 18:45 local time on Wednesday (11:45 BST), a blaze engulfed the MV June Aster as it transported 134 passengers and crew to the popular tourist hotspot of Coron, the country's Coast Guard says.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines but officials fear this could be one of the country's worst, with nearly 90 people still missing.
A "whole-of-government" approach is being adopted for search and rescue operations, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard says. It also warns that poor weather is posing a challenge for personnel involved in the search, with strong waves in the area.
The BBC's Virma Simonette Rivera, reporting from Manila, says passengers' families face an anxious wait for updates on their relatives.
Coron Island, off the mainland, is known for its beautiful scenery of towering cliffs and crystal clear waters, which attract scuba divers from all over.
We'll continue to bring you live updates as more information comes in.
The fire erupted about 1.2 nautical miles (2.2km) off the coast of Marcilla village, in Coron
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
The Coast Guard says they have spoken to survivors, many of whom are still unable to discuss the horrors they witnessed.
"We have tried to get stories from the survivors but there are still in shock," Coast Guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemi Cayabyab says on local TV.
"Some passengers were not wearing life vests," she adds.
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardAfter speaking with one of the surviving passengers, the Coast Guard says the fire started in the cargo haul.
"Based on our inquiry with one of the survivors, the fire started in the cargo hold," Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, tells local TV.
A cargo hold is the compartment or room for storing containers or goods while at sea.
"After a couple of minutes, fire started to spread," she adds.
The fire was first reported at 18:45 local time (11:45 BST) on Wednesday night by a staff member of Atienza Shipping Lines, which is the owner of the boat, the spokeswoman said.
Two Chilean nationals were among the 43 passengers rescued, a Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson told reporters a short while ago, according to a Reuters report.
We'll bring you more updates on the passengers when we get them.
Images taken by the Coast Guard early Thursday show the aftermath of the deadly fire that tore through a passenger ferry that had departed Manila.
Rescue operations continue as many people remain missing. Authorities say strong winds have hindered their searches.
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardThe deadly fire broke out on the MV June Aster, a ferry that departed Manila on Wednesday
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardHere the ferry is pictured blackened from the deadly fire, with smoke still rising from it on Thursday morning
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardThe ferry caught fire about 1.2 nautical miles (2.2km) off the coast of Marcilla village, in Coron
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
Seven rescued passengers have been taken to a hospital in Culion, a bigger neighbouring island, according to the region's Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The department says its staff members are talking to patients at the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, as well as their families, to determine their condition and the assistance they need.
The BBC understands that the passengers who were brought to Culion were "more serious cases".
Compared to the Coron District Hospital, the hospital at Culion has more bed capacity and more comprehensive healthcare services.
Image source, Getty ImagesSearch operations were launched after the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank in January
Authorities say there are 86 missing passengers aboard the MV June Aster, which caught fire on Wednesday en route to Coron, Palawan province.
But they've cautioned that the tally may change - and a look at past ship disasters show just how tricky it is to determine the actual number of people on board when tragedy strikes.
Sometimes, people listed on the manifest never boarded the vessel. But what's more often the case is that many of the passengers on the ship are not listed on its manifest, which complicates search-and-rescue efforts.
In January, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, a ship carrying more than 370 people sank off the waters of the southern Philippines. At least 66 people died in the disaster.
Of the 372 people on board, more than 100 were not listed in the manifest, authorities said.
Something similar happened Lady Mary Joy 3, a ferry which caught fire in the southern Philippines in 2023, killing 31 people. Officials said at the time that an inaccurate manifest had posed difficulties, as they found additional passengers not on the list.
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
Image source, Ann MagbanuaEarlier we reported that one of the passengers aboard the MV June Aster was Marlon Magbanua.
I've just spoken to his wife, Anelyn, who said that Magbanua, a fisherman, had gone to Manila earlier this week to visit their two children who are enrolled in a Catholic school in the capital.
"He spent a couple of days there. He even sent me their picture," she says.
Magbanua's ferry was supposed to arrive at the port around 19:00, and Anelyn and her two-year-old son went to bed.
But around 22:00, Magbanua's cousin arrived at the house to inform her that the ferry had caught fire.
"I can't describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night."
Earlier today, when she heard that someone had seen a "Marlon Magbanua" among the rescued, Anelyn pleaded with officials in her village to drive her to Coron hospital.
"My two-year-old son and I are outside the hospital as we speak," she says. "We have nothing but ourselves. It has also been raining."
Officials have since told her that they have not seen her husband.
If you're just joining us, here's what to know about the deadly fire that broke out on the MV June Aster, a ferry that departed Manila on Wednesday.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest.
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
Image source, SuppliedMarlon Magbanua was one of the passengers aboard the ferry that caught fire
Ann Magbanua is anxiously awaiting news of her brother, Marlon, who was a passenger aboard the MV June Aster when the ferry caught fire.
Magbanua tells the BBC that her brother's wife is on her way to the hospital, because she had heard from others that he had been seen there.
"Hope the weather favours us," she says.
Search and rescue operations are still ongoing at the site of the ferry fire. Authorities said a while ago that 43 people have been rescued.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe ferry had been headed to Coron, in the province of Palawan.
Coron, which attracts both local and foreign tourists, is famed for its limestone cliffs, sandy beaches and turquoise waters. It's also popular among divers for the World War II shipwreck sites.
As we reported earlier, ferry accidents are not uncommon in the Philippines, where many travel by sea across the country's many islands.
But deadly accidents like what we've seen today are rare in Coron - until the recent fire.
In 2024, all 14 crew members of a cargo ship were rescued after the vessel sank off Coron.
That same year, more than 300 people were affected after a cargo-passenger ship ran aground while preparing to depart Coron Port, but in the end all passengers managed to disembark safely.
Kelly Ng
Live reporter
I've been speaking with Rai Garcia, who has three family members who are among the missing.
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.
"They were traveling back from Manila when we heard the news," Garcia said. Loved ones had 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.
They had been travelling home to El Nido in Palawan on board the vessel when it caught fire.
"We haven't received any news yet. That's why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates," Garcia says.
"We still hope and pray for their safety."
Image source, SuppliedThe Philippine Coast Guard has released images of people being rescued after a ferry caught fire in waters near Coron, Philippines.
The photos, taken during the night, show groups of people and coast guards assisting passengers off small vessels.
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardA group of people help one person off a boat in the middle of the night following a ferry fire.
Image source, Philippine Coast GuardMore people wearing head torches help assist passengers rescued from a ferry fire in the Philippines.
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
I spoke to one municipal disaster staff, who doesnt want to be named, who said it was the first time that an incident like this had happened on Coron.
"I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night. It’s really heartbreaking. They are one hour away from the main port.”
Another person on board the vessel has been rescued, which brings the total number of survivors to 43, the Coast Guard said in an update about an hour ago.
The number missing now stands at 86.
Joel Guinto
Live reporter
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands.
Inter-island ferries are a cheap way to move people and cargo between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air.
But there is always the risk of severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons which can cause turbulent conditions. The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year.
Past accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety laws.
In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out at a passenger ferry in the country’s south-western tip. The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was on its way to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port in the main southern island of Mindanao.
But with 87 missing, this ferry disaster could prove to be among the more severe to have happened in the Philippines.
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
The Coast Guard says it is employing a "whole-of-government" approach to search and rescue operations following the ferry fire, including the help of volunteer fisherfolk communities.
"We are working tirelessly on these operations today because we believe that, in situations like this, time is truly of the essence," a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson extended condolences on behalf of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) "to the families of the missing, and we fully understand the anxiety felt by the families of those who are still unaccounted for".
The PCG made an appeal to families "who still have missing relatives to report the matter so that we can ensure an accurate accounting of everyone involved".
Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila
The Coast Guard says it's been trying to extinguish the fire on the ferry while also patrolling its immediate vicinity, but the weather has been challenging.
"The weather [last night] was poor, and the waves in the area were strong," a spokesman said.
"Reports from our vessel indicate strong currents in the area," he said, noting that the vessel had drifted from its initial distress location – four nautical miles off Barangay Turda – to a point 7.68 nautical miles away.
"It has been carried further out by the current. These are the challenges our personnel are facing in the search area."
