7 dead, 120 others rescued in Philippine ferry fire
The Philippine coast guard says a ferry carrying more than 130 people caught fire while approaching a northeastern province and many people escaped by jumping into the sea
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A ferry carrying more than 130 people caught fire Monday while approaching a northeastern Philippine province, killing at least seven people while most passengers and crewmembers were rescued, the coast guard said.
At least four people remained missing after fire engulfed the M/V Mercraft 2 while it was approaching a seaport in Real town in Quezon province from Polillio island.
Many of the 134 passengers and crew were forced to jump into the water, coast guard officials said.
The survivors were rescued by vessels in the area, they said.
The fire apparently started from the engine room, the officials said. The wreckage has been towed to shore in Real.
Pictures released by the coast guard showed fire engulfing the ferry and dark smoke billowing from it. Injured survivors on stretchers were taken to waiting ambulance vans while a rescuer tries to revive an unconscious survivor by pressing on his chest.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.