Ferry fire near Coron in the Philippines
The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was around 4.5 miles off the village of Turda near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was reported, reports BritPanorama.
According to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, including 117 passengers and 17 crew members. The 53-meter (174-foot) vessel had a capacity for 306 passengers and 27 crew. Notably, two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, as stated by the coast guard.
Among the survivors are two tourists from Chile, confirmed Rachel Conserman, a representative of the ship’s owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. They are currently recovering from their injuries in a hospital in Coron, with no other foreigners known to have been on the vessel.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Survivors and families of those missing are left grappling with uncertainty and loss. Lira Daco, anxiously waiting for news about her missing 20-year-old daughter Cyriel, expressed her anguish, stating, “It’s painful to think that your child was asking for help while she was burning alive.” Daco highlighted the emotional toll, stating, “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.”
Coron is renowned as a popular tourist destination, celebrated for its clear blue waters and limestone cliffs. Ferries play a crucial role in transport throughout the Philippine archipelago. However, sea accidents are not uncommon due to factors such as storms, overcrowding, and enforcement challenges surrounding safety regulations, particularly in remote areas.
The tragedy echoes past maritime disasters in the Philippines, vividly recalled by the 1987 sinking of the ferry Dona Paz, which collided with a fuel tanker, claiming over 4,300 lives in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster. As investigations into the fire unfold, the focus remains not only on the immediate tragedy but also on broader safety measures in maritime transport.
