'Rapid spread of fire' narrative consistent among MV June Aster victims -- PCG

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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday said accounts of the "rapid spread of fire" aboard the ill-fated MV June Aster were consistent in the testimonies of survivors of the maritime incident off Coron, Palawan that left 77 people dead and others missing.

At a news forum in Quezon City, PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemi Cayabyab said authorities are conducting a final sweep of the vessel to ensure all pieces of evidence are gathered to help in the investigation of the incident.

Cayabyab said some survivors had differing accounts of what transpired on the night of September 9, such as hearing explosions while others said, "Wala naman narinig (they didn't hear anything)."

However, a common element in the story emerged.

"What is consistent on those accounts is the rapid spread of fire. 'Yan ang tinitignan natin ngayon kaya sinuyod natin ang cargo deck and engine room dahil based sa testimony ng survivor doon nila nakita 'yung usok at apoy," she said.

The PCG official said search and rescue teams are still ongoing.

The Coast Guard spokesperson said the casualty count stands at 77 fatalities, 43 survivors, and eight missing out of 128 passengers accounted for based on the vessel's ticket manifest.

Cayabyab said authorities have launched two separate investigations into the incident: one into maritime safety, and the other on maritime crime.

One of the points of investigation in the fire is the electric vehicle (EV) that was reported to be in its cargo hold when the tragedy struck.

Cayabyab said in a previous interview that one of the surviving crew attested that the fire started in the cargo hold, which carried an EV.

During the news forum, the PCG official said among those listed in the vessel's cargo manifest were five motorcycles, an electric vehicle, pickup van, forklift, cold storage van, rice grains and other essentials.

Cayabyab said it has yet to be ascertained if the fire was indeed caused by the electric vehicle.

"We are still on search and rescue ops, we are still in high hopes na may makikita pang survivors we are using science-based information. We extended our search up to Mindoro. Hindi mapapagod hangga't mayroong nawawala, may previous na success despite weeks may nakikita pa ring survivor, coordination sa mga coastal barangays we extended our best effort for this incident," she said.

(We are still on search and rescue ops. We still have high hopes that survivors will still be found using science-based information. We extended our search up to Mindoro. We won't rest as long as someone is missing. We've had previous success despite weeks of being unable to find a survivor. We are coordinating with coastal barangays as we extend our best effort for this incident.)