Philippine rescue teams have recovered 35 bodies from a passenger ferry that was engulfed in flames while en route from Manila to the western province of Palawan. The disaster, which occurred on Wednesday night, has left families in mourning and sparked urgent calls for government accountability. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemi Cayabyab confirmed that burned remains were discovered within the vessel’s economy accommodation section after firefighters were finally able to board the ship on Friday.
The vessel, which had a capacity for 330 passengers, was carrying over 130 people when the fire broke out. The blaze was officially declared extinguished at 10:15 a.m. on Friday. While the death toll currently stands at 35, the search for those still missing continues. The Coast Guard has revised the number of missing individuals to 84, following the verification of the passenger manifest, and reported that 43 people have been rescued.
Survivor accounts provided to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) suggest that two successive explosions occurred inside the ship, triggering the inferno. The ferry was transporting various cargo, including five motorcycles, an electric vehicle, a forklift, and a pickup truck. Forensic investigators are currently working to identify the recovered remains, while the ferry operator, Atienza Inter-Island Ferries, has stated it is cooperating fully with the ongoing official investigation.
The tragedy has devastated families awaiting news of their loved ones. Jonnsban Tibay, 60, recounted a harrowing final video call with his wife, Eden, who he believes was trapped on the ship. “She said, ‘We’re leaving now.’ I told her not to hang up… the call suddenly cut off,” he said, noting that his wife’s physical condition likely prevented her from escaping. Similarly, Myra Bilan, 47, whose sister and brother-in-law are missing, expressed deep frustration, urging the government to take decisive action to protect passengers.
Other relatives gathered at the shipowner’s office in Manila, seeking information after failing to reach company representatives by phone. Evelyn Umpad, 64, whose son and daughter-in-law remain unaccounted for, joined the calls for transparency and updates. In response to the growing public concern, Commodore Cayabyab emphasized that operations are being conducted with the utmost respect for the victims and their grieving families.
Survivor Richard Marceliano described the rapid escalation of the event, noting that a small amount of smoke quickly transformed into a raging fire that swept through the ship in seconds. He and other passengers spent nearly two hours in the water before being rescued. The incident highlights the ongoing risks in the Philippines, an archipelago nation of over 7,600 islands where millions rely on maritime transport. This disaster follows a similar tragedy in January, when a vessel carrying more than 300 people sank while traveling to Sulu, resulting in over 60 deaths. The report also notes that more than a day after the ship caught fire on its way from Manila to the western province of Palawan, killing five people and leaving more than 80 missing, philippine firefighters found charred remains aboard a burned-out ferry on Friday. The report also notes that meanwhile, rescuers on on Friday recovered 30 bodies from a ferry that caught fire in western Palawan province, raising the death toll from the incident to 35, the Philippines coast guard said, according to a Reuters report. The report also notes that the fire was declared out at 10:15am [0215 GMT]. The report also notes that police forensic investigators were examining the remains for recovery and identification. The report also notes that the Philippine Coast Guard earlier revised the number of missing from 86 to 84 after authorities verified two people originally listed on the manifest had not been on board. The report also notes that with rows of accommodation berths reduced to twisted metal and ash, images released by the Coast Guard showed the devastating impact of the fire inside the ferry. The report also notes that in one image, what appeared to be skeletal remains could be seen amid the charred debris in a heavily damaged section of the vessel.