First bodies from Philippine ferry fire arrive in Coron as death toll reaches 35
CORON, Philippines — The first bodies recovered from a ferry fire off the Philippines arrived at a port near the resort town of Coron, Palawan, on Saturday morning, as the coast guard warned that the confirmed death toll of 35 would likely rise.
Tents were set up at the port to receive 30 bodies brought from the M/V June Aster, which ran aground near the tourist hotspot after a fire erupted Wednesday evening and tore through the vessel in seconds, according to survivors and officials.
Coast guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab told a Saturday news conference that the remains would be turned over to police forensic investigators for proper disposition and identification before local authorities could notify families.
“Currently, we are focused on the retrieval, and after that we will proceed with the investigation,” she said, confirming that the bodies had been found in the ship’s economy accommodation area.
Police investigators were seen arriving at the port shortly after the news conference ended. Asked how many bodies remained aboard the ferry, Cayabyab said authorities would provide an update later in the day.
Cayabyab told AFP on Friday evening that the first transfer had been limited to 30 bodies because of the capacity of the patrol vessel carrying them, and that additional remains were still on the ferry. Five other deaths had already been confirmed in the immediate aftermath of the fire.
Photos released by the coast guard showed rows of body bags being placed into a small ship alongside workers in hazmat suits.
Thirty passengers and 13 crew members have been rescued so far, while 54 people remain unaccounted for, according to the coast guard.
On Friday, Cayabyab told a radio station that the fire began in the cargo hold and spread through the ship within seconds. Survivors described hearing a loud explosion, then seeing smoke and fire race through the vessel.
“It spread very quickly,” she said of survivors’ accounts. “Everything happened in seconds.” She added that those who escaped had not even had time to put on life jackets.
The search for the missing has brought anguish to families. Myra Cabilan told AFP she flew to Coron to look for her brother, 40-year-old Rammel Gonzaga, who had taken the ferry from Manila on a business trip with his brother-in-law.
“His wife had just given birth a month ago. He was so happy he was given a daughter,” Cabilan said, fighting back tears. “At dawn, I still believed he survived. But he’s still missing. I have lost hope.”
Hundreds of people desperate for news have flooded the Facebook page of a local mayor with comments, seeking information about relatives, friends and even a dog.
The ferry’s manifest listed 134 crew members and passengers, but two did not board, according to the coast guard. The vessel was also carrying goods, an electric vehicle, a pickup truck and motorcycles.
The disaster has renewed attention on maritime safety in the Philippines, an archipelago of 116 million people where ferries are a lifeline between more than 7,000 islands. Many travelers depend on cheap, poorly regulated vessels despite a long history of accidents.
In January, the triple-decker M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank off the southern Philippines with more than 340 people aboard, killing at least 52. It went down along nearly the same route where 31 people died in 2023 after a fire broke out aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.
On Thursday, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., which owns the M/V June Aster, said it was fully cooperating with the investigation.