Philippine rescuers board ferry 40 hours after blaze began

Figure caption, Watch: Crews race to rescue passengers from burning ferry in Philippines.

• Five dead and 86 missing as 'heartbreaking' fire breaks out on Philippines ferryPublished1 day ago.

Publicado em 11 de setembro de 2026, 05:23 BST.

More than 40 hours after a deadly ferry fire began, Philippine rescuers have boarded the charred remains of the MV June Aster in search of dozens of missing people.

Five people been found dead, while 43 people have been rescued, many of whom are receiving treatment in hospital. Eighty-four people remain missing.

Fotos compartilhadas pela Guarda Costeira das Filipinas na manhã de sexta-feira mostraram fumaça ainda se enrolando do ferry, que estava viajando da capital Manila para a ilha de Coron – embora as nuvens pareçam ter diminuído em fotos frescas da tarde de sexta-feira.

Officials struggled to board the hull since operations began on Wednesday because of the toxic fumes and heat.

Image source, Philippine Coast GuardImage caption, Photos shared by the coastguard on Friday morning show smoke still curling from the MV June Aster.

Eles finalmente embarcaram por volta das 11:30, horário local (03:30 GMT), na sexta‑feira, disse a guarda costeira.

The biggest challenge for us really is to penetrate the ship [as] there is still a visible, thick smoke," the coastguard's spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab told the BBC earlier.

No matter how we try to push through, high temperatures and toxic smoke remain a severe risk to our personnel," she told local media earlier.

Smoke resulting from incomplete burning contains dense, lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide.

Anteriormente, as autoridades informaram que 86 ainda estavam desaparecidos, mas, na manhã de sexta-feira, o número ficou em 84 – dois passageiros cujos nomes constavam no manifesto do navio não embarcaram, segundo as autoridades.

Rescuers have widened their search area, Cayabyab says, adding that the coastguard has deployed one of its largest ships and done radio broadcasts to vessels in the area.

The search teams are also accompanied by divers and nurses.

Um mergulhador local em Coron informou à BBC na sexta-feira que ele e sua equipe estavam de prontidão para ajudar e aguardando instruções da guarda costeira.

The coast guard also conducted an aerial survey of waters near the disaster site.

Fonte da imagem, Guarda Costeira das Filipinas Legenda da imagem, Resgatadores ampliaram a área de busca na sexta-feira, dizem autoridades.

The plan is to resume firefighting efforts, first from the cargo hold of the ferry, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, Cayabyab said.

Earlier, the coastguard said preliminary interviews with the survivors suggest that was where the fire started. Some passengers were not wearing life vests, they noted.

Um sobrevivente que foi levado à segurança em um barco de resgate descreveu os gritos frenéticos a bordo do navio de passageiros e carga quando o incêndio irrompeu na quarta‑feira à noite.

Roland Lerma recalled falling while scrambling to get off the burning boat.

When I was on the floor, people were trampling me," the 30-year-old told the BBC.

He started crawling until he could find his footing again, before leaping off the vessel into the sea. Lerma said he saw children who had also jumped in the water, though he could not make out their faces in the dark.

Estava frio [no mar]. Se o resgate tivesse sido adiado, eu definitivamente teria morrido," ele disse.

The ferry, which set off from Manila, was nearing its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, in the province of Palawan, when it caught fire.

A autoridade marítima das Filipinas está investigando as circunstâncias em torno do incidente.

O ferry, construído em 2002, possuía certificados de segurança válidos e passou em uma inspeção de fiscalização em março, mas os investigadores estão investigando possíveis discrepâncias no manifesto, integridade da carga e protocolos de resposta de emergência da tripulação, informou o Palawan Daily.

Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel's operator, has pledged full cooperation with the inquiry.

Our hearts remain with the affected families, and we will not rest until all individuals are accounted for," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

People were trampling me': sobrevivente de incêndio em ferry filipino relembra fuga apertada.