More than 30 people, including a six-month-old baby, have been killed after a ferry carrying about 250 passengers and crew caught fire in the southern Philippines.
Many of those rescued had jumped aboard the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in a panic at the height of the fire Wednesday night and were pulled from the sea by the Coast Guard, Navy, other ferry and local fishermen off the southern island of Basilan.
But about 10 of the victims drowned, while another 18 were found inside the burning wreckage in the early hours of this morning.
Authorities say the death toll is now 31, but fear it will rise further as they are still searching for at least seven missing passengers.
Officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which started around 11 p.m. local time Wednesday off Basilan Island, when many passengers were sleeping in air-conditioned cabins on the lower deck of the ferry.
Pictured: The Philippine Coast Guard sprays water on a fire aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 during a search and rescue operation in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province.
Many of those rescued jumped from the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in panic at the height of the fire and were pulled from the sea by the Coast Guard, Navy, another ferryboat and local fishermen.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel pull a survivor from the waters near the burning MV Lady Mary Joy in Basilan, southern Philippines early Thursday.
The burning ferry was towed to the coast of Basilan, where coast guard personnel and other authorities discovered 18 bodies in the budget section of the passenger compartment, Governor Jim Hatman said, adding that the search for the vessel is still continuing.
“These victims died on board the ship because of the fire,” he said.
He added that investigations are underway and the discovery indicates the presence of additional passengers not listed in the ship’s manifest.
There were conflicting numbers on the number of passengers on the ferry, which was not overloaded, but the coast guard said 230 people were rescued, including 35 crew members.
He said the ferry was on its way to the town of Jolo in Sulu province from the southern port city of Zamboanga when it caught fire halfway off Basilan around midnight.
At least 23 passengers were injured and taken to hospital.
Some passengers were awakened from sleep by the noise caused by the fire. Some jumped ship.
Most of the passengers were asleep at the time of the fire, said Commodore Richard Marvey, Coast Guard commander for the southern Mindanao region, adding, “There was chaos.”
“I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes it was dark and shrouded in smoke,” survivor Mina Nani, 46, told DZRH.
She said she survived by jumping off the ship and sharing a buoy with another passenger before they were rescued.
The Philippine Coast Guard responded to a fire on board the MV Lady Mary Joy in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island, Haji Muhtamad, Basilan, Philippines, Wednesday night
Philippine Coast Guard personnel search for survivors of a fire on the MV Lady Mary Joy
Pictured: the burning wreck of the passenger ship MV Lady Mary Joy on the shore of Basilan Island, southern Philippines
Pictured: the burning wreck of the passenger ship MV Lady Mary Joy on the shore of Basilan Island, southern Philippines
Firefighters brought the fire under control early Thursday morning.
Pictures shared by the Coast Guard showed that the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 had been engulfed in flames.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago due to frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding, and irregular enforcement of safety rules, especially in remote provinces.
In May, at least seven people died after a fire broke out on a Philippine high-speed ferry carrying 134 people.
In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.
