At least five dead, 87 missing as Philippine ferry catches fire

At least five people are dead and 87 remain unaccounted-for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippines province of Palawan, officials say. The fire aboard the MV June Aster broke out on Wednesday evening, local time, 2.2 kilometres offshore, the coastguard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore. Video shared by the coastguard on Facebook showed the vessel completely engulfed in flames. "Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted-for," Philippine Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday. She 42 people had been rescued and that the ship's manifest listed 134 passengers and crew. "Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," Captain Cayabyab said. Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, she said. "However, we have not yet been able to obtain information from the rescued individuals because we have not been able to speak with them," Captain Cayabyab said, adding attempts to put out the blaze were ongoing. MarineTraffic data showed the June Aster departed from Manila AFP