The death toll from a fire on the Philippine ferry MV June Aster rose to 35 on September 11, 2026, as rescuers recovered additional bodies from the burned wreck, leaving 54 people unaccounted for, according to reports from timesunion.com and irishexaminer.com.
The fire, which erupted on Wednesday night as the ferry traveled from Manila to Coron in Palawan province, left the 53-meter (174-foot) vessel charred and filled with ashes, according to images shared by the Philippine Coast Guard. Survivors described scenes of panic, with one recounting how the flames spread rapidly, forcing passengers to flee.
Survivor Accounts Describe Chaos and Loss
Lira Daco, whose 20-year-old daughter Cyriel was among the missing, expressed anguish over the inability to identify her child’s remains. It’s OK if she just drowned and we can recover her body and give her a proper burial. But now we can’t recognize or hug her,
she said, as reported by timesunion.com. It’s painful to think that your child was asking for help while she was burning alive,
she added, according to irishexaminer.com.
Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva, a survivor, described the night of the fire in a video shared by News5. The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned,
he said, adding that he jumped from a window. I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic,
he recalled, according to irishexaminer.com.
The ferry, which had a capacity for 306 passengers and 27 crew, carried 134 people at the time of the fire, with two passengers reportedly missing from the manifest. Of those, 43 survived, while 54 remained unaccounted for as of September 11, 2026.
Death toll in Philippine ferry fire rises to 35
Efforts to Locate Missing Passengers Continue
Rescuers faced challenges accessing the vessel due to heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for trapped passengers. The Philippine Coast Guard and maritime officials are coordinating with the ferry’s owner, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., to determine the cause of the fire and locate the missing, as noted by both sources.
Two Chilean tourists were among the survivors, recovering in a Coron hospital, according to Rachel Conserman, a staffer with the shipping company. No other foreign nationals were reported on board, per irishexaminer.com.
The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was around 7.4 kilometers (4.5 miles) off the village of Turda near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was reported. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
According to the manifest, 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The 174-foot vessel had the capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew. Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, the coast guard said.
The shipping company said they were assisting those who were on board and their families while co-ordinating with the coast guard and maritime officials to locate the missing passengers and determine the cause of the fire.
Death toll in Philippines ferry fire rises to 35
Historical Context of Maritime Disasters in the Philippines
The incident echoes the 1987 Dona Paz ferry disaster, the deadliest peacetime maritime accident in history, which killed over 4,300 people after a collision with a fuel tanker. Ferries in the Philippines often face risks from overcrowding, poor maintenance, and lax enforcement of safety regulations, as highlighted by both outlets.
Coron is a popular tourist destination known for clear blue waters, limestone cliffs and rock formations. Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
Images provided by the coast guard showed the gutted interior of the ship and what appeared to be charred remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car. Rescuers on Thursday struggled to get inside the vessel because of the heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for passengers who may have been trapped.
The shipping company said in a statement it was assisting those who were on board and their families while coordinating with the coast guard and maritime officials to locate the missing passengers and determine the cause.
Two of the survivors were tourists from Chile, according to Rachel Conserman, a staffer of the ship’s owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. They are recovering from injuries in a hospital in Coron, she said, adding that no other foreigners were known to have been on the ship.
