Philippine Coast Guard raises the June Aster death toll to 76

The Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday, 12 September, that 41 more bodies had been taken off the M/V June Aster, lifting the confirmed death toll from the 9 September fire to 76. Thirteen people remain unaccounted for. Forty-three survived. Commodore Noemi Cayabyab, the Coast Guard spokeswoman, said the figure may still move as recovery and identification continue.

The passenger-cargo ferry, operated by Atienza Interisland Ferries, left Manila for Coron in northern Palawan with 117 passengers and 17 crew, 132 people in all. Two names on the manifest later proved not to have boarded. The fire was reported at about 18:45 Philippine time, 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla, 2.2 kilometres from the destination after a journey of more than 20 hours.

Where the bodies were

Most of the first 30 remains recovered on 11 September came from the sleeping area. Toxic fumes and heat kept boarding teams off the wreck until Friday. The ship drifted about eight nautical miles from the distress point before it was secured. On Saturday forensic officers in protective suits carried black bags from a Coast Guard vessel into tents on shore while families waited.

Investigators, citing survivors, reported successive explosions before flames moved through the passenger decks. Cayabyab told local reporters that wind helped the fire spread. Some passengers jumped without life jackets. The Coast Guard has said the blaze began in the cargo hold and tore through the ship in seconds.

Anelyn Magbanua, 37, waited on Saturday for word of her husband, who had been returning to Coron after seeing their children in Manila. She told Reuters she hoped he had drifted to another island. The company said four crew were missing and that the captain survived. Thirteen crew were among the rescued.

What happens next

Police forensic teams are identifying remains from belongings and DNA. Atienza Interisland Ferries has pledged to cooperate with the inquiry. The company said it would not rest until everyone is accounted for. Coron is a tourist town built around wreck diving and limestone islands. The June Aster was a workhorse on the Manila run, not a cruise ship.

Philippine inter-island ferries have a long record of fire and overcrowding accidents. This one is already among the deadlier cases of the decade because so many people were below decks at the end of a night passage. The Coast Guard's first public count on Friday was 35 dead. The Saturday lift to 76 came from a single recovery shift of 41 bodies. Thirteen names are still open.

Identification will take days. The inquiry into the cargo hold, the explosions and the life-jacket count will take longer. For the families on the quay in Coron, the only number that matters is the one that has not yet been closed.