Philippines: all 85 people safely rescued from burned-out ferry

Manila, Philippines — All 85 passengers and crew of an inter-island ferry that caught fire near the port destination south of Manila have been rescued safely and a search has ended, Philippine officials said Saturday.

The last two missing passengers on the M/V Asia Philippines, which had 47 passengers and 38 crew on board, were found to have taken another ferry. They were previously believed to be aboard the cargo and passenger ship that was hit by fire on Friday as it approached port in Batangas province, coast guard officials said.

The ferry, which was coming from the town of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro province, was more than a kilometer (about a mile) from the port of Batangas when smoke billowed from the second deck, followed by flames, sending many passengers into panic in the jumped into water, according to one of the rescued passengers. They were plucked from the water by coastguard personnel, nearby bancas and tugboats.

A ship also helped the Coast Guard put out the fire on the ferry, which was later towed to an anchorage when an investigation into the cause of the fire began, the Coast Guard said. Inspectors reported that the 16 vehicles carried on the ferry were undamaged.

The ferry’s proximity to the port enabled the speedy rescue of all victims, one of whom was taken to a hospital with injuries, officials said.

Marine accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago due to frequent storms, poorly maintained boats, overcrowding and irregular enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In December 1987, the Dona Paz ferry sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.