Philippines Ferry Fire Kills 5, Leaves 87 Missing Near Palawan

<p>At least five people have lost their life and 87 remain unaccounted for after a fire broke out aboard a ferry near the popular tourist destination of Coron in Palawan province, Philippines, on Wednesday evening.</p>
<p>The Philippines coastguard confirmed that the blaze erupted on the M/V June Aster while the vessel was approximately 2.2 kilometres offshore. Video shared by the coastguard on Facebook showed much of the ship engulfed in flames. The ferry had sailed from Manila before the fire started near Coron.</p>
<p>Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday that 42 people had been rescued so far, according to AFP. Reuters reported 43 rescues as of Wednesday night.</p>
<p>"Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for," Cayabyab said, noting that the ship's manifest had listed 134 passengers and crew in total.</p>
<p>Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew members. Cayabyab cautioned that the figures remained fluid. "Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change, as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," she said.</p>
<p>Authorities had not yet been able to gather accounts from survivors at the time of her statement, and efforts to extinguish the blaze were still continuing.</p>