Five Killed and More Than 80 Missing After Philippine Ferry Fire

Five people were confirmed dead and 87 remained unaccounted for after the M/V June Aster caught fire off Coron, Palawan, on Wednesday evening. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said 42 people had been rescued, including 38 passengers and four crew members. The vessel’s manifest listed 134 people, with 117 passengers and 17 crew, and the ship was traveling from Manila to Coron when the fire began about 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla. Search, firefighting and accounting operations continued, and authorities had not determined the cause.