A fire on a passenger ferry in the Philippines leaves at least 5 dead and dozens missing

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The 53-meter-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 around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the coast guard said.

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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 around 4 nautical miles (7.4 kilometers) 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 (14.2 kilometers) 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 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.

Teresa Cerojano, The Associated Press