Philippines ferry fire death toll rises to 35 after bodies recovered

Coast Guard says 30 more bodies recovered after five people were initially confirmed dead in Wednesday’s disaster.

Coast Guard personnel inspect a burned section of a ferry off the shores of Coron town, Palawan province [Handout photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP]

Dozens of bodies have been recovered from a ferry that caught fire in the western Palawan province of the Philippines, raising the death toll from the disaster to 35.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard on Friday, 30 bodies were recovered. Earlier, authorities said at least five people had died in the blaze.

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On Wednesday, the ferry caught fire on its way from the capital, Manila to Palawan. The vessel had been carrying more than 130 people when it was engulfed in flames.

Fifty-four people are still missing, and there were 43 survivors, authorities said.

Rescuers on Thursday struggled to get inside the vessel because of the heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for passengers who may have been trapped.

Images provided by the Coast Guard on Friday showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burned metal, including a car.

Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemi Cayabyab said that the burned remains were discovered in the ferry’s economy accommodations. She added that police forensic investigators were examining the remains for recovery and identification.

“We recognise the grief of the families affected by this tragic incident. Rest assured that operations are carried out with utmost respect for the deceased and their bereaved families,” Cayabyab said.

Reporting from Manila on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan said a steady number of families are asking about their loved ones and messaging the ferry companies for any information.

“They had better information coming from those who had survived than actually the ferry company,” Alindogan said.

“Much of the information coming from the government and the private sector had been controlled,” she added.

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.

“To understand this trip from Manila in the north of the Philippines to the west, it takes over a day. It’s a very long journey, but it is the most affordable mode of transportation for millions of Filipinos,” Alindogan explained, adding that it costs $50 compared with a flight, which would cost $100.

According to the manifest, 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The 53-metre (174-foot) vessel had a capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew. Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, the Coast Guard said.

It remains unclear what caused the fire, which began as the ferry neared the end of its journey to a popular tourist spot in northern Palawan.

According to a statement from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), citing survivor accounts, two successive explosions were heard inside the ship, triggering the blaze.

海岸警卫队称，在周三的灾难中，最初确认有5人死亡后，又找到了30具遗体。

菲律宾海岸警卫队人员正在巴拉望省科隆镇附近海域检查一艘渡轮的烧毁部分。[菲律宾海岸警卫队（PCG）/法新社发布的照片​​]

在菲律宾西部巴拉望省一艘起火的渡轮上，已找到数十具遗体，使这场灾难的死亡人数上升至 35 人。

菲律宾海岸警卫队周五表示，已找到30具遗体。此前，当局称至少有5人在火灾中丧生。

菲律宾国防部长就小组讨论中途递给他的纸条公开指责中国

菲律宾旅游景点渡轮起火，多人死亡，数十人失踪（列表 2/2）

周三，这艘渡轮在从首都马尼拉前往巴拉望的途中起火。事发时，船上载有130多人。

当局称，仍有54人失踪，另有43人幸存。

周四，由于高温和浓烟，救援人员难以进入船内，这延缓了搜寻可能被困乘客的行动。

海岸警卫队周五提供的图片显示，船舱内部被烧焦，还有疑似人类遗骸、灰烬和烧焦的金属，其中包括一辆汽车。

海岸警卫队发言人诺埃米·卡亚比亚布准将表示，这些被烧焦的遗骸是在渡轮的经济舱内发现的。她补充说，警方法医调查人员正在对遗骸进行检查，以确定身份。

“我们理解受此悲剧事件影响的家庭所承受的悲痛。请放心，我们将以对逝者及其家属的最大尊重开展各项工作，”卡亚比亚布说道。

半岛电视台记者贾梅拉·阿林多根周五在马尼拉报道称，不断有家庭询问亲人的消息，并向渡轮公司发送信息以获取任何信息。

“他们从幸存者那里获得的信息比渡轮公司本身提供的信息更准确，”阿林多根说。

她补充说：“来自政府和私营部门的大部分信息都受到了控制。”

在菲律宾群岛，渡轮是常用的交通工具。由于暴风雨、船舶维护不善、过度拥挤以及安全法规执行不力等原因，海上事故屡见不鲜，尤其是在偏远省份。

“要了解从菲律宾北部马尼拉到西部这段旅程，需要一天多的时间。这是一段非常漫长的旅程，但对于数百万菲律宾人来说，这是最经济实惠的交通方式，”阿林多根解释说，并补充道，这趟旅程只需50美元，而乘坐飞机则需要100美元。

根据乘客名单，船上共有134人，其中117人为乘客，17人为船员。这艘53米（174英尺）长的船只核定载客量为306人，船员核定载客量为27人。海岸警卫队称，名单上的两名乘客向当局报告称他们未能登船。

目前尚不清楚是什么原因导致了这场火灾，火灾发生时，渡轮正接近前往巴拉望岛北部热门旅游景点的终点站。

根据海事工业管理局 (MARINA) 的声明，并援引幸存者的说法，船内听到两次连续爆炸声，引发了火灾。