At least five people have died and dozens more are missing after a fire broke out on a passenger ferry off the coast of Coron in the Philippines, officials said.
The M/V June Aster was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members when the fire broke out at about 6:45 p.m. local time Wednesday as the vessel approached Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan province.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel and other responders continued their rescue operations Thursday by searching the surrounding waters. Officials said that rough seas with strong currents and waves were hampering the operation.
The number of people rescued and missing has changed as officials reconcile the passenger manifest with information from survivors and rescuers. The Coast Guard says it has rescued 42 or 43 people and confirmed five deaths. That means there are between 86 and 87 missing people, but authorities have stressed the numbers are preliminary and could change as search operations continue.
Video from the Coast Guard showed the ferry on fire and rescue boats pulling survivors from the water.
One survivor, Roland Lerma, told the BBC that he was in the sea for about two hours before being rescued.
“It was cold,” he said. “I would have died for sure if the rescue hadn’t arrived.
The Coast Guard said the cause of the fire was not established. Survivors of the blaze initially said it may have been sparked in the ship's cargo area, but investigators have yet to determine a cause. Passengers said they heard a loud blast from the cargo hold before the fire quickly spread, according to Reuters.
As the fire spread, some passengers reportedly went into the water without life jackets. Rescue teams and fishermen and other vessels in the area assisted in getting the survivors to shore.
Several survivors were transported to medical facilities for treatment. Authorities also opened evacuation and assistance centers for people rescued from the ferry, as families waited for news of relatives still missing.
Families are turning to social media and local authorities for news about the disaster. Relatives of some of the passengers have posted photographs and appeals online, in a bid to see if their loved ones were among those rescued.
The Coast Guard and other reports said the June Aster sailed from Manila to Coron.
The fire comes against a backdrop of a long history of maritime accidents in the Philippines, where passenger ferries and other vessels are an important means of transport between islands. Previous disasters have raised concerns about the safety, maintenance, and enforcement of maritime regulations for vessels.
AFP reported that at least 52 people were killed when the ferry M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank in waters off the southern Philippines in January 2026. In 2023, 31 people died in a fire aboard the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3.
Search and rescue efforts continued for missing people from the June Aster while authorities investigated the cause of the fire and worked to establish a definitive count of everyone who had been on board.
