Deaths in Philippines ferry fire rises to at least 35 with 54 still missing

A fire which broke out on a passenger ferry in the Philippines has killed at least 35 people, while 54 are still missing.

A total of 43 people were rescued from the MV June Aster off the municipality of Coron in Palawan province, the Philippines coastguard said, after the fire broke out on Wednesday evening and burned overnight.

The fire reportedly tore through the vessel so quickly that one man had no time to get a lifejacket as others stepped on him in panic.

"The fire quickly spread. That's when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned," Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted in a video broadcast by News5.

He said that he jumped from a window. "I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic."

According to the passenger manifest, a total of 134 people were on board at the time. Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, the coastguard said.

On Thursday rescuers struggled to get inside the vessel because of the heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for passengers who may have been trapped.

The ferry, which sailed from the capital of Manila, was afloat but listing after the fire was put out.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

"It's painful to think that your child was asking for help while she was burning alive," Lira Daco said as she waited at a rescue centre in Turda for word about her missing 20-year-old daughter, Cyriel.

She added: "I don't know how we can find out which one is my child," she added of the remains found inside the ship.

"It's OK if she just drowned and we can recover her body and give her a proper burial. But now we can't recognize or hug her."

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The MV June Aster had left the Philippines capital Manila heading for Coron in Palawan province in the west of the country when the fire started as it neared its destination at around 6.45pm on Wednesday.

Bad weather and big waves made the rescuers' task more difficult.

The ferry was around four nautical miles - around 4.6 miles - off Coron's village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles (4.8 miles) off Turda.

(c) Sky News 2026: Deaths in Philippines ferry fire rises to at least 35 with 54 still missing