Five dead and more than 80 missing after fire sweeps through Philippines ferry

The Philippine Coast Guard told the BBC that 43 people had been rescued and 86 were missing. Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday that 42 had been rescued — 38 passengers and four crew — and that 87 remained unaccounted for. Reuters reported 43 rescued as of Wednesday night. Both figures work from the same manifest of 134 people.

Cayabyab was explicit about the uncertainty.

"Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change, as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," she said.

She added that the coastguard had not yet been able to speak to those rescued, so their accounts had not been incorporated.

Still burning

The fire was still alight at 11:00 on Thursday, more than sixteen hours after it started. Strong currents and thick smoke have hampered efforts to put it out, according to the coastguard, and video the service shared showed much of the vessel engulfed in flames and people being pulled from the water into rescue boats.

Preliminary interviews with survivors suggest the fire began in the cargo hold, the compartment where containers and goods are stored. The coastguard also noted that some passengers had not been wearing life vests. The cause remains under investigation, and no formal finding has been published.

Seven of those rescued were taken to hospital on Culion, a larger neighbouring island with more beds and broader services than Coron. Others were taken to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda. The extent of injuries is unclear.

Two hours in the water

Roland Lerma, who survived, told the BBC he spent two hours in the sea before a boat reached him.

"It was cold. If the rescue was delayed, I would definitely have died," he said.

A first responder described carrying casualties to hospital through the night and said they had never seen a disaster like it in Coron, calling it "really heartbreaking".

Families waiting

Anelyn Magbanua is among those still waiting. Her husband Marlon had been in Manila visiting their two children, who attend school in the capital. She last heard from him as the ferry passed a village about two hours from Coron, and had expected it to dock between 18:00 and 19:00.

She went to bed early and was woken by a cousin telling her the ferry was on fire.

"I have been crying and praying since last night," she said. She travelled to a hospital in Coron hoping to find him among the survivors. He remains unaccounted for.

"My two-year-old son and I are outside the hospital as we speak. We have nothing but ourselves," she said.

Rai Garcia has three family friends among the missing: Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, who had travelled to Luzon for her father's funeral, her husband Elyzer Navoa, and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy. The family were returning home to El Nido.

A recurring pattern

Sea accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands regularly hit by monsoon rains and typhoons that make conditions treacherous. Poor vessel maintenance, overcrowding and inconsistent enforcement of safety rules have been blamed for previous incidents.

In January a ferry carrying more than 350 people sank off Baluk-baluk island, killing at least 18.

Figures in this report reflect the position at the time of writing and are expected to change.