At least five dead, dozens missing after passenger ferry catches fire in Philippines

Rescuers have struggled to get into a passenger ferry that caught fire and burned through the night off the western Philippines, leaving five people dead and 86 missing, officials said.

By nightfall on Thursday, search and rescue operations were halted but were to resume on Friday morning.

So far, 43 people have been rescued, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said. The ferry MV June Aster was afloat but listing off the town of Coron after the fire that started on Wednesday evening. Smoke still rose from the charred vessel by midday on Thursday.

Cayabyab said authorities were still trying to confirm reports that two foreigners were onboard, checking the names on the manifest and coordinating with local government officials and the shipping company on the identities of the fatalities, survivors and missing.

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According to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The vessel had a capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew.

The 53-metre-long ferry had sailed from the capital of Manila and was near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was reported by the shipping company about 6.45pm on Wednesday, the coast guard said.

Rescuers have been trying to enter the ship but have encountered difficulty because of thick smoke. "Our objective now is to enter the ship, to check the situation so we can assess the situation," Cayabyab said.

Later on Thursday evening, search and rescue operations were suspended and will resume in the morning, she added.

Cayabyab said it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold, and the coast guard was coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to get more details.

The survivor reported "a loud explosion, then followed by smoke and fire", she added. "As per the testimony of the survivor, everything happened quickly; within seconds the fire spread."

A coast guard ship and high-speed response boats were joined in the search and rescue by a military vessel and other government boats, volunteers and fishermen.

The coast guard made a radio broadcast to ships nearby to be on the lookout for passengers of the ferry. It has also coordinated with coastal villages in case some passengers drifted to the shore.

Images of the Wednesday night rescue efforts showed coast guard personnel tossing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

Bad weather and big waves challenged rescuers. The ferry was about four nautical miles off the village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles off Turda.

Coron is a popular tourist destination known for clear blue waters, limestone cliffs and rock formations.

Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4300 people in the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.