Philippine ferry fire leaves 31 dead, 23 injured and at least 7 missing

A fire broke out on a ferry in the southern Philippines and raged overnight for eight hours, killing at least 31 of the approximately 250 passengers and crew members, officials said Thursday.

Many of the more than 200 people who survived the blaze jumped off the Lady Mary Joy 3 and were rescued from the dark sea by the coast guard, navy, another ferry and local fishermen, said Gov. Jim Hataman of the island province of Basilan. Rescuers were still searching Thursday for at least seven missing passengers.

Hataman said the burned ferry was towed to Basilan’s shoreline, where the bodies of 18 of the 31 victims were discovered in a budget section of the passenger cabin.

“These victims perished on board due to the fire,” Hataman said.

He said that an investigation was underway and that the discovery suggested there were additional travelers not listed on the vessel’s manifest.

The ferry’s skipper, however, told coast guard officials that he tried to run the burning ferry aground on the nearest shore to allow more people to survive or be rescued, regional coast guard Cmdr. Rejard Marfe said.

The ferry was en route to Jolo town in Sulu province from the southern port city of Zamboanga when it caught fire off Basilan close to midnight, he said. At least 23 passengers were injured and brought to hospitals.

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“Some of the passengers were roused from sleep due to the commotion caused by the fire. Some jumped off the ship,” Hataman said.

The steel-hulled ferry could accommodate up to 430 people and was not overcrowded, Marfe said. According to the manifest, it was carrying 205 passengers and a 35-member crew, he said. In addition, it had a security contingent consisting of four coast guard marshals and an unspecified number of soldiers who were not listed on the manifest for their protection, Marfe said.

He said officials are investigating whether the 33-year-old ferry was seaworthy, whether there were passengers not listed on the manifest and whether the crew properly guided passengers to safety.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

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.