Death Toll in Philippine Ferry Fire Rises to 35 with 54 Missing

The death toll from a passenger ferry fire off the coast of Palawan Island in the Philippines has risen to 35.

According to Reuters and other foreign media outlets on local time today (the 11th), the Philippine Coast Guard announced that a total of 35 people were killed in the ferry fire that broke out on the night of the 9th off the coast of Coron in northern Palawan Island, western Philippines.

While the initial death toll was 5, the Philippine Coast Guard recently recovered 30 additional burned bodies from inside the ferry.

"We are properly recovering the bodies according to established procedures and are in the process of identifying them," said Noemi Cayabyab, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard.

The passenger manifesto recorded a total of 134 people on board, consisting of 117 passengers and 17 crew members.

Since the Philippine Coast Guard previously rescued 43 people, an estimated 54 people remain missing, excluding the 35 dead.

At the time of the accident, the ferry was en route to Coron after departing from Baseco in the port area of Manila.

One survivor recalled, "The fire spread in an instant. I fell to the floor, suffered burns on my back, and jumped out of the window."

Lira Dacoco, who is searching for her 20-year-old daughter, told the Associated Press, "It breaks my heart to think that my daughter was calling for help while burning alive. I don't know how I will be able to tell which of the remains found inside the ferry is my daughter."

In the Philippines, an archipelago consisting of some 7,000 islands, maritime accidents frequently occur due to overloaded vessels and aging ships that fail to comply with safety regulations.

In 1987, the passenger ferry Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker and sank, claiming over 4,300 lives in what is recorded as the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.