The Deadly Fire on the Philippines Ferry Kills More than 30
- AP Photo
VIVA – A ferry carrying about 250 passengers in the southern Philippines has killed more than 30 people and at least seven people are missing, after an eight-hour-long fire, authorities reported on Thursday.
Many of them who survived the blaze jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 and were rescued from the dark sea by the coast guard, navy, a nearby ferry, and local fishermen, said Governor Jim Hataman of the southern island province of Basilan. Rescuers were still searching for at least seven missing people.
Authorities are still double-checking the numbers from different rescue teams, indicating that the death toll could change.
The ferry was known to be on its way to Jolo city in Sulu province, from the southern port city of Zamboanga. Unfortunately, it caught fire in the middle of Basilan Road just before midnight.
Penyelamatan Kapal Feri yang Terbakar
- AP Photo
It is known that the dead included at least three children, who were separated from their parents, and at least 23 passengers were injured and taken to hospital, "Some passengers were awakened from their sleep by the commotion caused by the fire. Some jumped off the ship," Hataman said.
Most of those who perished were found drowned and recovered at sea, he added.
With more than 7,100 islands, traveling by boat is a common and cheap mode of transportation for many in the Philippines, making boat accidents common as well. Last year seven people died after a passenger ferry caught fire leaving more than 120 passengers jumping into the water to survive. In 2017, four people died after an accident in the Quezon Province.
Most famously, in 1987, more than 4,300 people died after the ferry Dona Paz collided with an oil tanker in the Philippines.
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