Charred bodies found inside ferry that caught fire in Philippines as rescuers search for 84 missing

CORON, Philippines (AP) — Firefighters found burnt human remains on Friday inside a ferry that caught fire in Philippine waters two nights earlier, leaving five dead and 84 missing, the coast guard said.

It was not clear how many additional fatalities were found, with officials saying more details will be released on Saturday.

Images provided by the coast guard showed the gutted interior of the ship and what appeared to be charred remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car.

A coast guard statement said the fire was declared out, and the response team conducted a safety assessment. Rescuers on Thursday struggled to get inside the burning vessel because of the heat and smoke, and efforts to search for passengers who may been trapped were halted overnight.

Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, the coast guard spokesperson, said the coast guard, police and other agencies were “undertaking the proper recovery and identification of the remains in accordance with established procedures.”

The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, on Wednesday evening and was around 7.4 kilometers (4.5 miles) off the village of Turda near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was reported.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The coast guard and other vessels have rescued 43 people, some plucked from the dark waters as the ferry burned.

“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 center 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 of 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.”

Survivor Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted the harrowing night of the fire in a video broadcast by News5.

“The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned,” he said, adding 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.”

According to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The 53-meter (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, bringing the number of missing to 84, the coast guard said.

Two of the survivors were tourists from Chile, according to Rachel Conserman, a staffer of the ship’s owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. They are recovering from injuries in a hospital in Coron, she said, adding that no other foreigners were known to have been on the ship.

The shipping company said in a statement it was assisting those who were on board and their families while coordinating with the coast guard and maritime officials to locate the missing passengers and determine the cause.

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.

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Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.

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