At least five killed, 87 missing after ferry fire in Philippines
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At least five people died and 87 remained unaccounted for Thursday after a ferry caught fire off the Philippine island province of Palawan, with 42 passengers and crew rescued. Coast guard teams continued search and rescue operations as officials warned the figures could change while they worked to establish what happened.
By: FRANCE 24 At least five people are dead and 87 remain unaccounted for after a ferry fire erupted near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan on September 10, 2026. © AFP At least five people were killed and 87 remain unaccounted for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippine province of Palawan, the coast guard said Thursday.
The fire aboard the M/V June Aster broke out Wednesday evening about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) offshore, the coast guard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.
Video shared by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames.
"Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for," coast guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday, adding the ship's manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew.
"Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," she said.
Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, Cayabyab said.
"However, we have not yet been able to obtain information from the rescued individuals because we have not been able to speak with them," she said, adding attempts to put out the blaze were ongoing.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the June Aster had departed from Manila.
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