At least 85 rescued and 2 missing after boat fire in Philippines

The Philippine Coast Guard confirmed this morning that two passengers and two passengers aboard MV Asia Philippines carrying 87 people. burned One nautical mile southwest of Batangas state port on Friday night, still missing.

However, he pointed “while the search and investigations continue”authorities are also trying to ascertain the possibility both recovered but not “properly documented”.

“This (of the passengers) they were immediately rescued and they went home before the documents or because their names appeared twice on the list,” he said.

Operated by the Starlite Ferries company, the ship caught fire as it was about to dock in Batangas port the previous day, and many passengers jumped into the water as the flames spread rapidly amid strong winds.

According to the coast guard’s statement, in addition to the casualties in the accident, at least one person was injured, a 43-year-old woman who was taken to hospital, although her health condition is unknown.

Preliminary studies showed that all 16 rolling loads on board were undamaged and said there were “no signs of oil spills” around the ship, which has about 16,000 liters of diesel stored in its fuel tank.

The fire was under control about three hours later and its causes are still unclear.

“A joint team from the Coast Guard, Fire Protection Bureau, Philippine National Police and Special Operations Unit has been deployed to investigate the incident,” the statement said.

marine accidents Common in the Philippine archipelago Due to frequent storms, bad conditions of ships and constant irregularities in safety regulations, especially in more remote provinces.

This week, storm Ma On left a trail of destruction in the Philippines after making landfall with strong winds reaching 180 kilometers per hour last Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least three people and forcing the suspension of classes and other services. most of the country.