Charred bodies found on fire-hit ferry off Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The death toll in the fire that hit a passenger vessel off Coron, Palawan, on Wednesday night is expected to breach the initial five reported fatalities after charred bodies were found inside the economy section of MV June Aster on Friday morning.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported that 43 passengers were rescued while more than 80 were still missing.

The vessel, which left Manila on Tuesday night, had initially been reported to be carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members. The PCG, however, said two persons listed in the passenger manifest did not board the vessel.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: PCG: 30 cadavers recovered from fire-hit MV June Aster

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

In an advisory, Commodore Noemi Cayabyab, PCG spokesperson, said the remains were discovered after authorities declared the fire out at 10:15 a.m. Friday. Search and rescue teams were able to board the vessel two hours later.

“The PCG, [the Philippine National Police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives] and other concerned agencies are currently undertaking the proper recovery and identification of the remains in accordance with established procedures,” Cayabyab said.

“We recognize the grief of the families affected by this tragic incident. Rest assured that operations are carried out with utmost respect for the deceased and their bereaved families,” she added.

Authorities had yet to announce an updated casualty or missing person count as of Friday night. The Coast Guard said responders would continue assessing the vessel as part of the search, recovery and investigation.

Article continues after this advertisement

Explosion

Citing accounts from survivors, Cayabyab said an explosion occurred in the vessel’s cargo hold, after which thick smoke and fire quickly spread throughout the ship.

MV June Aster, owned and operated by Atienza Interisland Ferry Inc., caught fire around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday about 2.2 kilometers (1.2 nautical miles)northeast of Barangay Marcilla in Coron, its destination.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: 5 dead, 86 missing as ferry catches fire off Palawan

The PCG, the Coron local government through its disaster response office, and the vessel operator, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., immediately launched search and rescue operations.

The fire had continued to produce smoke earlier Friday, prompting responders to work toward gaining access to the vessel’s different sections.

Improved weather conditions allowed the PCG to deploy helicopters for aerial surveys after poor weather prevented the aircraft from being used the previous day, Cayabyab said.

The PCG also deployed oil spill booms as a precaution after an assessment found no oil sheen in the surrounding waters.

The search for the missing passengers has kept other families gathered at municipal coordination centers in Coron, where they continue to await updates from authorities.

Relatives of missing passengers John Rey Marin, 35, and Jonas Rivas, 28, both residents of Sibuyan, Romblon, sought information on their whereabouts.

Marin and Rivas, both employees of a Cavite-based company, reportedly traveled to Coron to visit a project site.

The PCG appealed to relatives of people initially reported missing to inform authorities if their family members were safe or had not boarded the vessel.

Such information, Cayabyab said, would help authorities properly account for those still missing.

Captain, crew liability

She said the vessel’s captain and crew could face liability over the incident, although investigators still have to determine the extent of their responsibility.

“With the number of missing and the number of capacity, definitely there is liability here,” Cayabyab said.

Investigators will examine whether the crew and captain properly carried out emergency procedures after receiving information about the fire and whether passengers were promptly told what they needed to do, she said.

Cayabyab said the PCG was also looking into accounts that some people found in the water during the search were not wearing life jackets.

She said survivors told investigators that the incident happened quickly after a reported explosion in the cargo hold, followed by smoke and then a sudden fire.

The wind may have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames, based on the survivors’ accounts, Cayabyab said.

Some passengers reportedly jumped into the water after seeing the fire and may not have had time to retrieve their life jackets.

Whether passengers had been provided with life jackets and whether proper emergency procedures were followed remain part of the investigation, she said.

In an earlier statement, the vessel owner had committed to “full transparency” following the fire.

“Our hearts are with the affected families, and we will not rest until all individuals are accounted for,” it said. “We have deployed specialized care teams to assist the families of the injured and missing, providing lodging and transportation services,” it added.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Authorities are also reviewing predeparture protocols for interisland vessels as part of a broader administrative assessment following the incident. /das