Search continues for 12 missing passengers of fire-hit ferry

CALAPAN CITY, ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines — Search and rescue operations continued Monday, Sept.14 for 12 people still missing after passenger ferry M/V June Aster caught fire off Coron, Palawan, with authorities starting a dewatering operation to search the submerged ship’s lower section.

Kristine Mechelle Ablaña, municipal tourism officer of Coron, said in a phone interview that the dewatering operation began around 8 a.m. to remove water from the lower portion of the sunken vessel.

Pumps and empty drums were being used to drain the water and expose the ship’s floor, where rescuers hoped to locate the missing passengers, Ablaña said.

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READ: Palawan ferry fire death toll climbs to 76 as identification process begins

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As of Monday, authorities confirmed 76 deaths, while 44 people survived, including the vessel’s captain, who has yet to be located, according to Ablaña.

Meanwhile, forensic personnel had processed 20 bodies, including taking samples and documenting the remains.

Authorities have been showing photographs of the recovered bodies and their belongings to relatives at the municipal government to help identify the victims.

At least 41 processed bodies had been temporarily buried at a resting area in Barangay San Nicolas while identification and other procedures continued.

The victims’ identities have yet to be released to the public pending completion of the identification process. /cb