The death toll from the fire that gutted a passenger ferry in the Philippines last week rose to 76 after rescue crews recovered more bodies on Saturday.
At least 13 people were still unaccounted for following the inferno that swept through the vessel on Wednesday night off southwestern Palawan province. There were 132 people on board the ferry and 43 survived the disaster. Coastguard images captured the ship's blackened interior, revealing ashes, warped metal, a destroyed car, and suspected human remains.
The ferry had sailed from the capital Manila and was 39km from its final destination of Coron, Palawan, when the fire erupted.
Although the precise cause was yet to be established, a coast guard spokesperson cited a survivor who recalled hearing an explosion, suggesting the fire likely started in the cargo hold before winds fanned it across the vessel.
The spokesperson, Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, said authorities were searching for the vessel's captain who reportedly survived the incident but was not included on the official list of survivors. A multiagency investigation would assess all angles, including any potential liability on the part of the captain and crew.
Ms Cayabyab said survivors described the fire spreading too fast for passengers to retrieve life jackets. She added that tarpaulins shielding open areas from rain “may be a possible contributing factor but we can’t determine now if they were trapped inside".
Investigators were reviewing whether emergency procedures were followed, such as sounding alarms or providing instructions.
A survivor earlier described how panicked crowds trampled him as he attempted to secure a life jacket.
"The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned," Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted in a video broadcast by News5. He said that he jumped from a window. "I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic."
Intense heat and heavy smoke had severely hindered rescue workers on Thursday, delaying search efforts for any trapped passengers inside the vessel.
“It’s painful to think that your child was asking for help while she was burning alive," Lira Daco said as she waited at a rescue centre in Turda for word about her missing 20-year-old daughter Cyriel.
“I don’t know how we can find out which one is my child," she added regarding the remains found inside the ship. "It’s ok if she just drowned and we can recover her body and give her a proper burial. But now we can’t recognize or hug her."
Ship records indicated that 134 people – 117 passengers and 17 crew – were aboard the vessel, which had a total carrying capacity of 306 passengers and 27 crew.
Two people listed on the manifest later informed authorities that they hadn’t boarded, the coastguard reported.
Among those saved were two Chilean tourists, confirmed Rachel Conserman, a staff member at vessel owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc.
Both are currently receiving hospital treatment in Coron for their injuries.
Coron is a popular tourist destination, renowned for its clear blue waters, dramatic limestone cliffs and rock formations.
Ferries serve as a widespread means of transport across the Philippine archipelago. Maritime accidents are not uncommon due to severe storms, poorly maintained craft, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations, particularly in remote island provinces.
The region previously suffered the history's worst peacetime sea disaster in 1987, when the ferry Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker in the central Philippines, claiming over 4,300 lives.
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