The ferry had 134 passengers and crew listed on its manifest when it sank near Palawan.
At least five people have been killed and 87 remain missing after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines, the country’s coastguard said.
The blaze broke out Wednesday evening aboard the M/V June Aster, about 2.2km (1.3 miles) offshore. Five casualties were brought ashore.
Coastguard footage shared on Facebook showed much of the vessel engulfed in flames.
Coastguard Captain Noemi Cayabyab said 42 people had been rescued, including 38 passengers and four crew members. The ship’s manifest listed 134 passengers and crew.
“Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for,” Cayabyab said. She warned that the figures could change as search and rescue operations continued.
She said authorities had not yet been able to speak with the rescued passengers and crew, and efforts to extinguish the fire were ongoing.
AFP reported that 43 people had been rescued by Wednesday night.
The ferry had departed from Manila and was near Coron in Palawan when the fire started. No cause has been reported.
Maritime accidents are a recurring concern in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands frequently affected by monsoon rains and typhoons. Poor vessel maintenance, overcrowding and inconsistent enforcement of safety rules have contributed to past disasters.
In January, a ferry carrying more than 350 people sank off Baluk-baluk island, killing at least 18.