Thirty Charred Bodies Recovered from Burned Ferry in Western Philippines

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, coastguard 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 39km (24 miles) from its destination, the Port of Coron, when the fire was reported on 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 will be brought down from a ship that transported them from the burned ferry. The coastguard said the bodies will be turned over to the local government, with police officers assisting in identifying the charred remains.