Death Toll in Philippine Ferry Fire Soars From Five People to 76
13 people remain missing and search efforts continue
As the Philippine Coast Guard searches the wreckage of the burned-out ferry June Aster, the death toll from the disaster has soared from five people to 76, with 13 still missing. Out of 132 people on board at departure, only 43 survived.
Last Wednesday, the ferry June Aster left Manila and got under way for the port of Coron, Busuanga Island. At about 1845 hours that night, the Aster caught fire at a position about one nautical mile off the town of Marcilla, on the east side of Busuanga. Survivors reported a blast followed by an intense fire; first responders arrived to find the vessel burning fiercely.
The wreck is hard aground off the coast of Busuanga Island, just south of Mindoro, making boarding and search comparatively safe for first responders. The effort to scour the wreck for remains is still under way. The main challenge now turns from search and recovery to the longer-term problem of identification of remains: the fire burned hot enough and long enough that DNA testing will be needed to figure out the victims' identities.
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In a Sunday briefing attended by the Philippine Inquirer, representatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime lab said that 71 of the bodies are "totally charred." The unit is resorting to extreme techniques, pulling molars from the bodies in hopes of extracting preserved DNA from well-protected dental tissues. Volunteer dentists are assisting the effort, the Inquirer said. The effort could take months.
Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos told the Inquirer that the Marcos administration would make every effort and assign additional resources in order to bring closure to the victims' families.
