Image source, EPA

At least five people have died and 86 people remain unaccounted for after a fire broke out on a ferry in the Philippines.

At approximately 18:45 local time on Wednesday (11:45 BST), a blaze engulfed the MV June Aster as it transported 134 passengers and crew to the popular tourist hotspot of Coron, the country's Coast Guard says.

Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines but officials fear this could be one of the country's worst, with nearly 90 people still missing.

A "whole-of-government" approach is being adopted for search and rescue operations, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard says. It also warns that poor weather is posing a challenge for personnel involved in the search, with strong waves in the area.

The BBC's Virma Simonette Rivera, reporting from Manila, says passengers' families face an anxious wait for updates on their relatives.

Coron Island, off the mainland, is known for its beautiful scenery of towering cliffs and crystal clear waters, which attract scuba divers from all over.

We'll continue to bring you live updates as more information comes in.

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

The Coast Guard says they have spoken to survivors, many of whom are still unable to discuss the horrors they witnessed.

"We have tried to get stories from the survivors but there are still in shock," Coast Guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemi Cayabyab says on local TV.

"Some passengers were not wearing life vests," she adds.

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

After speaking with one of the surviving passengers, the Coast Guard says the fire started in the cargo haul.

"Based on our inquiry with one of the survivors, the fire started in the cargo hold," Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, tells local TV.

A cargo hold is the compartment or room for storing containers or goods while at sea.

"After a couple of minutes, fire started to spread," she adds.

The fire was first reported at 18:45 local time (11:45 BST) on Wednesday night by a staff member of Atienza Shipping Lines, which is the owner of the boat, the spokeswoman said.

Two Chilean nationals were among the 43 passengers rescued, a Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson told reporters a short while ago, according to a Reuters report.

We'll bring you more updates on the passengers when we get them.

Images taken by the coast guard early Thursday show the aftermath of the deadly fire that tore through a passenger ferry that had departed Manila.

Rescue operations continue as many people remain missing. Authorities say strong winds have hindered their searches.

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

Seven rescued passengers have been taken to a hospital in Culion, a bigger neighbouring island, according to the region's Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The department says its staff members are talking to patients at the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, as well as their families, to determine their condition and the assistance they need.

The BBC understands that the passengers who were brought to Culion were "more serious cases".

Compared to the Coron District Hospital, the hospital at Culion has more bed capacity and more comprehensive healthcare services.

Image source, Getty Images

Authorities say there are 86 missing passengers aboard the MV June Aster, which caught fire on Wednesday en route to Coron, Palawan province.

But they've cautioned that the tally may change - and a look at past ship disasters show just how tricky it is to determine the actual number of people on board when tragedy strikes.

Sometimes, people listed on the manifest never boarded the vessel. But what's more often the case is that many of the passengers on the ship are not listed on its manifest, which complicates search-and-rescue efforts.

In January, MV Trisha Kerstin 3, a ship carrying more than 370 people sank off the waters of the southern Philippines. At least 66 people died in the disaster.

Of the 372 people on board, more than 100 were not listed in the manifest, authorities said.

Something similar happened Lady Mary Joy 3, a ferry which caught fire in the southern Philippines in 2023, killing 31 people. Officials said at the time that an inaccurate manifest had posed difficulties, as they found additional passengers not on the list.

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

Image source, Ann Magbanua

Earlier we reported that one of the passengers aboard the MV June Aster was Marlon Magbanua.

I've just spoken to his wife, Anelyn, who said that Magbanua, a fisherman, had gone to Manila earlier this week to visit their two children who are enrolled in a Catholic school in the capital.

"He spent a couple of days there. He even sent me their picture," she says.

Magbanua's ferry was supposed to arrive at the port around 19:00, and Anelyn and her two-year-old son went to bed.

But around 22:00, Magbanua's cousin arrived at the house to inform her that the ferry had caught fire.

"I can't describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night."

Earlier today, when she heard that someone had seen a "Marlon Magbanua" among the rescued, Anelyn pleaded with officials in her village to drive her to Coron hospital.

"My two-year-old son and I are outside the hospital as we speak," she says. "We have nothing but ourselves. It has also been raining."

Officials have since told her that they have not seen her husband.

If you're just joining us, here's what to know about the deadly fire that broke out on the MV June Aster, a ferry that departed Manila on Wednesday.

• At least five people have died and 86 are missing, though authorities say that these figures may change as search operations continue. A total of 43 people have been rescued so far
• The ferry departed Manila and was bound for Coron, in Palawan province. It's a popular holiday destination for both local and foreign tourists, known for its beaches and WW2 shipwrecks
• It caught fire about 1.2 nautical miles (2.2km) off the coast of Marcilla village, in Coron
• Rescue operations have been hindered by strong waves, which caused the vessel to drift away, authorities say
• Families of missing passengers tell the BBC that they're anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones

Stay with us as we bring you the latest.

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

Image source, Supplied

Ann Magbanua is anxiously awaiting news of her brother, Marlon, who was a passenger aboard the MV June Aster when the ferry caught fire.

Magbanua tells the BBC that her brother's wife is on her way to the hospital, because she had heard from others that he had been seen there.

"Hope the weather favours us," she says.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing at the site of the ferry fire. Authorities said a while ago that 43 people have been rescued.

Image source, Getty Images

The ferry had been headed to Coron, in the province of Palawan.

Coron, which attracts both local and foreign tourists, is famed for its limestone cliffs, sandy beaches and turquoise waters. It's also popular among divers for the World War II shipwreck sites.

As we reported earlier, ferry accidents are not uncommon in the Philippines, where many travel by sea across the country's many islands.

But deadly accidents like what we've seen today are rare in Coron - until the recent fire.

In 2024, all 14 crew members of a cargo ship were rescued after the vessel sank off Coron.

That same year, more than 300 people were affected after a cargo-passenger ship ran aground while preparing to depart Coron Port, but in the end all passengers managed to disembark safely.

Kelly Ng
Live reporter

I've been speaking with Rai Garcia, who has three family members who are among the missing.

Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, who is the sister of Garcia's brother-in-law, had travelled to Luzon to attend her father's funeral, accompanied by her husband Elyzer Navoa and their three-year-old daughter Hiraya Joy.

"They were traveling back from Manila when we heard the news," Garcia said. Loved ones had made a poster to appeal for information of the family of three, using a photo Mae had taken on the ferry and shared with immediate relatives.

They had been travelling home to El Nido in Palawan on board the vessel when it caught fire.

"We haven't received any news yet. That's why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates," Garcia says.

"We still hope and pray for their safety."

Image source, Supplied

The Philippine Coast Guard has released images of people being rescued after a ferry caught fire in waters near Coron, Philippines.

The photos, taken during the night, show groups of people and coast guards assisting passengers off small vessels.

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

Image source, Philippine Coast Guard

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

I spoke to one municipal disaster staff, who doesnt want to be named, who said it was the first time that an incident like this had happened on Coron.

"I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night. It’s really heartbreaking. They are one hour away from the main port.”

Another person on board the vessel has been rescued, which brings the total number of survivors to 43, the coastguard said in an update about an hour ago.

The number missing now stands at 86.

Joel Guinto
Live reporter

Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands.

Inter-island ferries are a cheap way to move people and cargo between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air.

But there is always the risk of severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons which can cause turbulent conditions. The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year.

Past accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety laws.

In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out at a passenger ferry in the country’s south-western tip. The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was on its way to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port in the main southern island of Mindanao.

But with 87 missing, this ferry disaster could prove to be among the more severe to have happened in the Philippines.

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

The coastguard says it is employing a "whole-of-government" approach to search and rescue operations following the ferry fire, including the help of volunteer fisherfolk communities.

"We are working tirelessly on these operations today because we believe that, in situations like this, time is truly of the essence," a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson extended condolences on behalf of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) "to the families of the missing, and we fully understand the anxiety felt by the families of those who are still unaccounted for".

The PCG made an appeal to families "who still have missing relatives to report the matter so that we can ensure an accurate accounting of everyone involved".

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

The coastguard says it's been trying to extinguish the fire on the ferry while also patrolling its immediate vicinity, but the weather has been challenging.

"The weather [last night] was poor, and the waves in the area were strong," a spokesman said.

"Reports from our vessel indicate strong currents in the area," he said, noting that the vessel had drifted from its initial distress location – four nautical miles off Barangay Turda – to a point 7.68 nautical miles away.

"It has been carried further out by the current. These are the challenges our personnel are facing in the search area."

Coron, where the ferry was headed to, is part of the province of Palawan – a popular tourist destination in the Philippines.

Coron Island, off the mainland, is known for its beautiful scenery of towering cliffs and crystal clear waters, which attract scuba divers from all over. The area is best known among divers for its Japanese shipwrecks from World War Two.

Image source, Getty Images

Virma Simonette Rivera
Reporting from Manila

Thirty-eight of the 42 people rescued last night were passengers on the ferry, while the other four are crew members, the coastguard said, adding that they have not yet spoken to the survivors.

"So we will wait, but while we wait, our operations are ongoing. We are also co-ordinating with the shipping company," a coastguard spokesman said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.