Death toll hits 76 after 41 more bodies recovered from burned Coron ferry

National

THE death toll from the M/V June Aster fire rose to 76 after authorities recovered 41 more bodies from the burned-out ferry off Coron, Palawan, as the grim task of identifying the victims began.

The Philippine Coast Guard confirmed the latest recovery on Saturday night. The remains will be transported to a port in Coron, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said in a statement.

The first 30 bodies were brought to shore by sea earlier Saturday, while five others had been recovered in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

Authorities have prepared one-meter-deep graves for the temporary burial of the victims while DNA testing is completed, Kristine Ablana, a tourism official serving as an official spokesperson, told reporters.

Relatives will first be shown photographs and personal belongings recovered from the victims.

According to Ablana, those who can confirm that the items or photographs belong to a missing family member will then be asked to provide a DNA sample.

“Once someone is able to verify… that this photo or these belongings are indeed those of their relatives, they will be asked to provide a DNA sample,” Ablana said in a Philstar report.

The coast guard said 30 passengers, including two Chilean nationals, and 13 crew members were rescued. Around a dozen people are still believed to be unaccounted for.

The vessel is grounded about 7.5 kilometers off Coron.

Survivors told authorities that the fire started in the cargo hold and spread rapidly through the vessel.

Cayabyab said survivors described hearing a loud explosion followed by smoke and fire, with the blaze spreading so quickly that those on board had little time to react. Some survivors were unable to put on life jackets before escaping.

“Everything happened in seconds,” Cayabyab said in a radio interview, as quoted in the same article.

Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., the company that owns the vessel, said it was fully cooperating with the investigation.(MyTVCebu)