Philippines ferry catches fire with 120 on board

All 120 passengers and crew members aboard a Philippines ferry that caught fire at sea on Sunday were rescued safely and the fire was extinguished.

There were 65 passengers and 55 crew members aboard the MV Esperanza Star when it caught fire at dawn while travelling from Siquijor province to Bohol province in the central Philippines, the coastguard said.

“All those who were on board the ferry are safe,” said Joy Gumatay, coastguard spokeswoman.

She said they were taken to the port city of Tagbilaran in Bohol and an investigation was under way.

Photos and video released by the coastguard showed flames and black smoke billowing from two decks at one end of the ferry as personnel on another vessel used a water cannon to try to put out the fire.

A fishing boat and one other vessel could be seen nearby.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippines archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In March, a fire broke out and raged overnight on a ferry carrying about 250 people off the southern island province of Basilan, the coastguard said. It killed at least 31 passengers and crew members.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.