Search teams unable to board burnt Philippine ferry as more than 80 remain missing

Coast guard vessels are searching waters off Palawan after a fire on the M/V June Aster left five dead and 43 rescued, with rescuers blocked from boarding the smouldering ship.

By Steve Rowland · AI-assisted production, human-approved (how we work)
Published 11 September 2026 at 02:08 · Updated 11 September 2026 at 08:36

Developing · updated 11 hours ago

We are still following this story and this page updates as more is confirmed.

In brief

What happened

A passenger ferry caught fire off the western Philippine island of Palawan on Thursday. At least five people have died and more than 80 passengers remain missing in the water following the blaze. A major search and rescue operation was immediately launched with multiple vessels and maritime assets deployed to find survivors.

Why it matters

The disaster has left scores of people unaccounted for, prompting emergency teams to use drift-modelling tools tracking ocean currents to locate missing passengers. Furthermore, key details remain unknown, including the cause of the fire, the total manifest, the victims' identities, and the vessel's route.

What's next

The operational priority for the Philippine Coast Guard remains focused entirely on locating survivors across identified search zones. Deployed vessels will continue their search and rescue work in the waters off Palawan. Further official updates are expected from maritime authorities as the operation progresses.

Rescuers searching for more than 80 missing passengers off the western Philippine island of Palawan have been unable to board the burnt ferry M/V June Aster due to thick smoke, intense heat and the risk of explosions, the Philippine Coast Guard has said.

Five people are confirmed dead and 43 survivors have been pulled from the sea, including two Chilean nationals, according to coast guard spokesperson Aileen Ausente. Emergency teams are continuing a major search and rescue operation across the surrounding waters.

We now have confirmation of the vessel's route and manifest, which were not known in initial reports. Coast guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab confirmed the ferry was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members when the blaze broke out on Wednesday night. The vessel had departed from Baseco in Manila and was heading to Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan.

Search operations have been complicated after the drifting hull was carried further out by overnight winds and currents. Rescue teams are using drift-modelling software to map ocean movements and direct surface vessels to where survivors may have been swept, while aircraft have been placed on standby.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and remains under investigation. Ferry transport is essential across the Philippine archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, though the nation has a history of maritime accidents frequently linked to overcrowding, rough seas and lax safety enforcement.

I'll continue to follow the search effort and update this report as further details are confirmed by maritime authorities.