A horror unfolded last night when a fire broke out aboard the MV June Aster, a ferry carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew, heading from Manila to Coron.
At 18:45 local time, the blaze erupted in what officials suspect was the cargo hold. The ship was still burning when the coastguard reached it around 11:00 a.m. the next day, hampered by strong currents and dense smoke.
Five people have died and 86 are missing. 43 survivors were pulled from the water and most were taken to a hospital on the nearby island of Culion. Some passengers were not wearing life vests, raising questions about safety protocols.
Rescue crews, including a first‑responder who had never seen such a disaster, helped transport the injured to a evacuation centre in Barangay Turda. The cause remains under investigation, with officials confessing they will look further into the cargo hold’s condition and maintenance records.
This tragedy adds to a list of maritime mishaps that plague the Philippines, a country of 7,100 islands where ferries are a lifeline but face risks from weather, poor maintenance and sometimes inadequate enforcement of safety laws. In 2023, a similar fire on the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 killed 31 people.
Families of the missing are pleading for information. For example, Maya Lorraine Galera‑Navoa’s 3‑year‑old daughter Hiraya Joy was in the cabin as the fire broke out. Social media posts are flooding the Philippine Coast Guard’s Facebook page with pleas for updates.
The incident underscores the need for better safety protocols on inter‑island ferries and has spurred calls from local officials for stricter enforcement of maritime safety regulations.
