From the Guardian · Reuters · · 1m 30s
Ferry fire off Palawan leaves scores missing
A Manila to Coron ferry burned overnight, and rescuers are still chasing the currents that carried its passengers.
In brief
A Manila to Coron ferry burned overnight, and rescuers are still chasing the currents that carried its passengers. More than 80 people are still unaccounted for, and the search is being run on drift models because the burning ferry itself cannot be boarded. Originally reported by the Guardian.
A ferry burns off Palawan
The M/V June Aster caught fire on Wednesday night off the western Philippine island of Palawan. Five people are dead and a large search operation ran through Thursday.
Eighty still unaccounted for
The manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew. With 43 survivors and five dead confirmed, authorities put the missing at more than 80, and the count could shift.
Searching by drift model
Rescue teams are using drift-modelling tools to work out where currents may have carried people, with multiple coast guard vessels and aircraft on standby for clear weather.
Too hot to board
Thick smoke was still pouring off the hull hours later. Crews could not enter the vessel because of extreme heat and the risk of explosions.
“the search hampered by thick smoke still billowing from the ferry”
The wreck keeps moving
Overnight, wind and current pulled the burned ferry away from where it caught fire, widening the area rescuers have to cover. Two Chilean nationals were among those pulled out.
A pattern, not an accident
Millions across the 7,600-island archipelago travel by boat. Past Philippine ferry disasters have been tied to overcrowding, rough seas and weak enforcement of safety rules.
The headline
More than 80 people are still unaccounted for, and the search is being run on drift models because the burning ferry itself cannot be boarded.
