Bodies from charred Philippine ferry arrive at port after fire that killed at least 35

CORON, Philippines, Sept 12, (AP): Thirty charred bodies found inside a burned passenger ferry in the western Philippines arrived at a port Saturday for identification after a ship fire killed at least 35 people and left more than 50 others missing earlier this week. Retrieval operations will continue as more bodies are still inside the MV June Aster, coast guard officials said without providing a count.

There were 43 survivors among the 132 people on board. The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was off the village of Turda some 39 kilometers (24 miles) from its destination, the Port of Coron, when the fire was reported Wednesday evening. The cause of the blaze has not been determined but a survivor said it may have started from the cargo hold.

The survivor recounted hearing a blast, with smoke and fire quickly spreading, fanned by the winds, officials said. Tents were put up in the Port of Borac in Coron, Palawan province, where body bags were brought down from a ship that transported them from the burned ferry. The coast guard said the bodies were turned over to the Provincial Forensic Unit for identification.

Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, the coast guard spokesperson, said authorities are looking for the ship's captain, who reportedly survived but is not listed among the survivors. The multiagency maritime safety and criminal investigations will look into all angles, and the possible liability of the captain and crew, she added. Cayabyab said survivors recounted the incident happened quickly, with no time to get life jackets.

A tarpaulin that shielded the open areas of the ship from the rain "may be a possible contributing factor but we can’t determine now if they were trapped inside,” she added. Investigators will also check if fire emergency procedures were followed, including if the captain sounded an alarm or gave a warning and instructions, and if the crew assisted the passengers.

Images provided earlier by the coast guard showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car. Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva, a survivor who recounted the chaos inside the ferry after the fire quickly spread, told a local news outlet that he couldn't get a life jacket as people were in a panic and stepping on him.