PALAWAN, The Philippines — 10 September 2026, Five people have died and more than 80 others remain missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off Palawan island in the western Philippines on Wednesday evening, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
Forty-three people have been rescued from the MV June Aster, which was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members from Manila to Coron, Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said.
The fire began at about 18:45 while the ferry was near Coron in Palawan province. The vessel sent a distress signal about 4 nautical miles, or 7.4 kilometres, off Turda village, but strong currents later dragged it around 7.68 nautical miles, or 14.2 kilometres, from the village.
The ferry was still afloat by late Thursday morning after the fire was extinguished, although thick smoke continued to billow from the vessel, Cayabyab said.
Images from the overnight rescue showed coast guard personnel throwing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped onto smaller boats and taken to shallow water, while bodies in bags were laid out at what appeared to be a port.
Bad weather and large waves hampered rescue efforts, which remained under way on Thursday.
The coast guard said it had no information on whether any foreigners were among those aboard. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with the coast guard coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities.
Ferries are a common form of transport across the Philippine archipelago, where maritime accidents have occurred because of storms, poorly maintained vessels, overcrowding and uneven enforcement of safety regulations.
