Philippine ferry fire death toll climbs to 35

The number of people killed in a fire aboard a passenger ferry in the Philippines has increased to at least 35 after rescuers recovered additional bodies. Survivors described scenes of chaos as the flames spread rapidly, leaving some passengers unable to reach life jackets.

The blaze broke out Wednesday night near Palawan province, and 54 people remain unaccounted for. Forty-three passengers and crew members survived. Coast guard photographs showed the severely burned interior of the vessel, with what appeared to be human remains, ashes, twisted metal and a damaged vehicle.

Survivor Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva said the fire moved through the ferry so quickly that he had little time to react. Speaking in a video aired by News5, he said his back was burned after he fell to the floor and that he eventually escaped by jumping through a window. He explained that he tried to obtain a life jacket but could not because frightened passengers were stepping over him in the panic.

Search teams faced difficult conditions Thursday as intense heat and thick smoke prevented them from entering parts of the vessel. The recovery operation continued into Friday, when officials confirmed that the death toll had reached 35.

The ferry had departed from Manila and was approximately 7.4 kilometers (4.5 miles) from Turda village, near its destination of Coron, when the fire was reported. Authorities have not yet established what caused the blaze.

At a rescue center in Turda, Lira Daco anxiously waited for information about her 20-year-old daughter, Cyriel, who remained missing. She said it was heartbreaking to imagine that her daughter may have been calling for help as the fire spread. Daco also expressed anguish over the difficulty of identifying the recovered remains, saying that even recovering her daughter's body after drowning would have allowed the family to provide a proper burial.

The ship's manifest listed 134 people aboard, including 117 passengers and 17 crew members. The 53-meter (174-foot) ferry was designed to accommodate up to 306 passengers and 27 crew. The coast guard said two people listed on the manifest later told authorities that they had never boarded the vessel.

Two Chilean tourists were among the survivors, according to Rachel Conserman, an employee of the ferry's operator, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. Both were receiving treatment for their injuries at a hospital in Coron. She said there were no reports of any other foreign nationals aboard.

Coron is a well-known tourist destination, famous for its clear waters, limestone cliffs and striking rock formations.

Ferries are an important part of transportation across the Philippine islands. However, maritime accidents remain a recurring problem, with storms, poorly maintained vessels, overcrowding and inadequate enforcement of safety standards contributing to the risks, particularly in remote areas.

One of the country's worst maritime disasters occurred in 1987, when the ferry Dona Paz collided with a fuel tanker and sank. More than 4,300 people died, making it the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in recorded history.