Ship with 124 passengers on board caught fire in the Philippines/Philippine Coast Guard
A passenger ship caught fire near Balut Island in the southern Philippines. At least seven people died as a result of the fire.
Seven people drowned
On board the ship that broke out on May 23 were 134 passengers and crew. It is reported that 120 people were saved. Of these, 23 were injured.
According to local authorities, three people are in critical condition. It is known that 7 people died – 5 women and two men. Another 4 people are missing.
A local emergency officer said from the hospital that seven of the dead were drowned.
According to France24.com, the fire broke out on the ferry, causing the ship to rupture. Mercraft 2 passengers had to jump overboard.
Ship with 124 passengers on board caught fire in the Philippines/Photo Philippine Coast Guard
The fire started in the engine room
The ferry was transporting people from the island of Polillo to the municipality of Real in the province of Quezon on the island of Luzon.
The ferry was engulfed in flames, causing thick black smoke to come out of the ship. People jumped into the water with life buoys and life jackets. Some people were rescued by other ferries or taken to inflatable boats.
According to preliminary information, the fire started in the engine room.
The captain of one of the ships that came to the rescue said that they managed to save 40 people. At the same time, he reported two deaths.
The ship that saved some of the people was 500 meters away when a fire broke out on the Mercraft 2 ferry. The ferry caught fire about 7 kilometers from the port.
- At the end of 2021, the devastating Typhoon Rai covered the Philippines. The typhoon claimed at least 375 human lives. More than 300 thousand people were forced to leave their homes and coastal resorts.
- Unfortunately, the elements devastated entire regions of the country, in particular, the southern and central regions of the Philippines. The wind speed reached 260 kilometers per hour with gusts of over 300 kilometers per hour.
