Five people killed and more than 80 missing in ferry fire off the Philippines - VIDEO
Five people have died and more than 80 are listed as missing after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Palawan province in the western Philippines, Reuters reported, citing the Philippine Coast Guard.
The fire broke out on the vessel MV June Aster. Coast Guard spokeswoman Noemi Cayabyab told radio station DZXL that the ship's passenger manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members. Forty-two people were rescued.
The number of missing was obtained by subtracting those whose deaths have been confirmed and those already rescued from the total number of people on board, the agency specified.
According to the Coast Guard, the fire broke out on the vessel about 1.2 nautical miles (2.2 km) northeast of the town of Coron in Palawan province. Search and rescue operations are continuing.
