At least five people have died and 86 are missing after a fire broke out on the MV June Aster ferry in the Philippines.

The ferry had set off from Manila with 117 passengers and 17 crew members and was nearing Coron, a popular tourist destination, when the blaze started at 18:45 local time (10:45 GMT) on Wednesday. By 11:00 the next day, the vessel was still burning, with strong currents and thick smoke complicating rescue efforts.

A survivor floated in the sea for two hours before being rescued. Roland Lerma told the BBC, “It was cold. If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died.”

Video clips from the coastguard show the ship engulfed in flames and people being pulled from the water onto rescue boats. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. Preliminary interviews suggest the fire began in the cargo hold, where containers and goods are stored, and some passengers were not wearing life vests.

Forty‑three people have been rescued, but it is unclear how many sustained injuries. Seven survivors were taken to a hospital on Culion, a neighboring island with greater medical capacity. A first responder described the disaster as “really heartbreaking” and noted the ferry was about an hour from its destination when it caught fire.

Survivors and families of missing passengers have gathered at an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, north of Marcilla. Among those missing were three family friends of Rai Garcia and the family of Mae Lorraine Galera‑Navoa, who was travelling to El Nido with her husband and three‑year‑old daughter when the fire broke out.

The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands, frequently experiences maritime accidents. Inter‑island ferries are a cheap and essential link, especially where air travel is not feasible. However, the region faces frequent severe weather, monsoon rains, and typhoons—an average of 20 per year—that can create turbulent conditions. Past ferry fires, such as the 2023 MV Lady Mary Joy 3 incident that claimed 31 lives, have often been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety regulations.

With 86 missing and additional casualties still being accounted for, the MV June Aster tragedy may become one of the worst maritime disasters in recent Philippine history.