At least five people have died and 86 are missing after a fire broke out on the MV June Aster ferry, the Philippine Coastguard said. The ferry, which set off from Manila with 117 passengers and 17 crew, was near its destination in the tourist hotspot of Coron when the blaze started at 18:45 local time (10:45 GMT) on Wednesday.
Video clips posted by the Coastguard showed the vessel engulfed in flames while rescue boats pulled people from the water. The fire appears to have begun in the cargo hold, and some passengers were found not wearing life vests.
Forty‑three people were rescued, but the number of injuries remains uncertain. Seven survivors were taken to a hospital on the nearby island of Culion, which has better medical facilities than the main island of Coron.
A survivor, Roland Lerma, clung to a life buoy for two hours in cold sea before being rescued. He told the BBC that a delayed rescue could have been fatal.
The Coastguard has not yet determined the exact cause of the fire, and investigations are ongoing. Preliminary interviews suggest the blaze started in the cargo hold.
Families are praying for the missing. One of the victims, Mae Lorraine Galera‑Navoa, was traveling home from Luzon when the fire struck. Her husband, son and three friends are believed to be among the 86 missing.
Maritime accidents remain common in an archipelago of 7,100 islands. Although inter‑island ferries are a cheap means of transport, they face risks from severe weather, typhoons—which average 20 per year—and often inadequate safety enforcement.
In 2023, a fire on the passenger ferry MV Lady Mary Joy 3 killed 31 people. With 86 still unaccounted for, the June Aster disaster could rank among the worst maritime tragedies in recent Philippine history.
