The United Arab Emirates has extended its sympathies to the Philippines following a fire that tore through a passenger ferry off Palawan province, an incident that has left multiple people dead and scores unaccounted for.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its condolences to the Filipino government, its citizens, and the relatives of those killed, describing the episode as a tragedy and voicing the UAE’s solidarity with the nation during the crisis.
Aboard the M/V June Aster, the fire took hold on Wednesday evening while the vessel was roughly 2.2 kilometers from the Palawan coastline, a region popular with tourists. By Thursday, Philippine Coast Guard personnel were still working to put out the flames.
The confirmed death toll stood at five, with another 86 individuals listed as missing, the coast guard reported. Rescuers had managed to bring 43 survivors to shore along with the five recovered bodies.
Investigators have not yet pinpointed what triggered the blaze. One account from a survivor, however, described a sudden violent noise originating from where cargo was stored before the situation deteriorated.
Coast guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab relayed that testimony to journalists on Thursday. “After that there was smoke and fire. As per the testimony of the survivor, it escalated quickly. After seconds, the fire started spreading,” she said.
