67 of 77 dead in Sept. 9 MV June Aster tragedy identified, 10 still unnamed

MANILA, Philippines — 67 of the 77 fatalities in the MV June Aster ferry fire have been identified, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla said on Wednesday. 

During Sen. Raffy Tulfo’s Senate committee on public safety hearing, Tuvilla gave updates on the tragedy which occurred last September 9 or a month and three weeks ago in the Strait of Coron in Palawan.

“From the 77 fatalities that were recorded, the forensic group of the PNP was able to identify more than 80 percent of the charred bodies of our victims,” Tuvilla told the panel.

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“To be exact, 67 have been identified,” he said.

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Tuvilla is also the head of the response operations to MV June Aster disaster.

He added that four of the bodies are still in the process of being identified in a forensic laboratory, while six of the 67 bodies have already been retrieved by their families.

READ: 63 of 77 MV June Aster fire victims identified; probe ongoing

Citing the PCG’s investigation, Tuvilla informed the Senate panel that the cause of the blaze was from combustible materials in the ferry.

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“We were able to identify that [the fire] emanated from the cargo, meaning – in the rear portion of the cargo hold of the MV June Aster, brought about by combustible materials, as corroborated by the BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection),” he said.

He explained that the environmental conditions, the build of the rear portion of the ferry, and the equipment in that portion of the ship also contributed to setting the passenger vessel ablaze.

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According to Tuvilla, the fire started in the rear portion of the ship where the blower or the exhaust was.

On top of this, the metal framing in that part of the ferry was bent in shape – which caused an extreme flow of heat.

Tulfo then asked if electric vehicles (EVs) had anything to do with the tragedy, amid such reports.

Tuvilla, who was on the ferry itself when the incident occurred, said that the EVs on board were in front of the boat, and not much cargo was adjacent to the EVs.

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Investigation on the catastrophe is still ongoing, with a case build-up for a reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and serious physical injuries charge underway, he added. /apl