Coast guard recovers 30 bodies after Philippine ferry fire

Rescue teams recovered 30 bodies from a fire-damaged ferry in the Philippines, LRT reported, citing the Philippine Coast Guard. The coast guard said the figure was preliminary.

“Joint services reported that 30 bodies had been counted and recovered today from the M/V June Aster,” the coast guard said. Recovery and transfer operations began at about 5:16 p.m. local time.

The bodies were found in the ferry’s economy-class passenger area, according to the coast guard.

The ferry caught fire on Wednesday and ran aground near Coron Island in Palawan province, a popular tourist destination. Earlier reports said at least five people had died and 87 were missing.

The coast guard said the fire broke out on Wednesday evening while the M/V June Aster was about 2.2 kilometres from shore. Video posted by the coast guard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames.