JAKARTA - Philippine rescue workers combed the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire on Thursday to search for survivors or other victims of a fire that hit an inter-island ship that killed 29 people, including a 6-month-old baby, authorities said.
Investigators have not identified the cause of the fire that occurred at around 23.00 local time on Wednesday off the southern coast of Basilan Island, when many passengers fell asleep in air-conditioned cabins on the lower deck of the ferry.
"I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes, everything was dark and we were surrounded by smoke," said Mina Nani (46), a passenger on the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry to the DZRH radio.
He said he survived by jumping off the ship and sharing buoys with other passengers until they were rescued.
There are several different figures regarding the number of people on the ferry, which officials say is not overloaded.
Meanwhile, the Philippine coast guard said 225 people including 36 crews were rescued. Meanwhile, 29 other passengers were killed.
Eleven people died, including three children, for drowning after jumping from the burning ship. While the other 18 died in flames on board, Governor Hadjiman Hataman Salliman told DZRH.
"We haven't explored the entire ship because it's still hot," Salliman said of the stranded ship.
Separately, the Head of Coast Guard in the Mindanao Region, Commodore Rejard Marfe, told Reuters there was a "congestion" after the fire that broke out woke people from their sleep and 18 victims found aboard the ship were "completely on fire".
It is known that the Philippines, which has more than 7,600 islands, has poor records in terms of maritime safety, with ships often packed and many ships old.
In May, at least seven people died in a fire on a high-speed ferry carrying 134 people.
Much earlier, about 5,000 people died in the world's worst shipping disaster, when the overloaded passenger ferry, Dona Paz, collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Mindoro Island, south of Manila's capital in 1987.
PANOORIN: Ayon sa @coastguardph Station Isabela, 160 pasahero ng M/V LADY MARY JOY 3 ang nakaligtas sa naganap na sunog habang bumibiyahe ito sa katubigan ng Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan. pic.twitter.com/405TIpq1qs
— Philippine Coast Guard (@coastguardph) March 30, 2023
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