By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA (Reuters) – Rescue workers in the Philippines were combing through the remains of a burned-out ferry on Thursday, searching for survivors or more victims of a fire that swept through the vessel, killing 29 people including a 6-month-old baby, officials said.
Investigators have yet to identify the cause of the fire, which started around 11 pm on Wednesday off the southern island of Basilan, as many passengers were sleeping in air-conditioned cabins on the underside of the ferry.
“I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes it was dark and we were surrounded by smoke,” Mina Nani, 46, a passenger in the MV Lady Mary Joy 3, told DZRH radio.
She said she survived by jumping off the boat and sharing a flotation device with another passenger until they were rescued.
There are conflicting figures about the number of people on the ferry, which authorities said was not overloaded. The coastguard said 225 people, including 36 crew members, had been rescued.
Eleven people, including three children, drowned after jumping from the burning vessel, while 18 died in the fire on board, Governor Hadjiman Hataman Salliman told DZRH.
Rejard Marfe, head of the coast guard in the Mindanao region, told Reuters there was “chaos” after the spreading fire woke people up and that the 18 victims found on board were “totally burned”.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, has a poor maritime safety record, with vessels often overcrowded and many old ships in use.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales)
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