Philippines: At least five individuals were confirmed dead and 87 remain missing following a tragic ferry fire in the Philippine province of Palawan, as reported by the Coast Guard on Thursday. The ferry, MV June Aster, was en route to the municipality of Coron from Manila when the incident occurred on Wednesday evening, approximately 2.2 kilometers off the shore.

According to Deutsche Welle, the Philippine Coast Guard released footage showing the vessel engulfed in flames as rescuers worked tirelessly to bring bodies ashore. The ship's manifest listed a total of 134 people, consisting of 117 passengers and 17 crew members. Coast Guard officials confirmed that 42 individuals, including 38 passengers and four crew members, had been successfully rescued from the burning ferry.

Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab stated that there are still 87 individuals unaccounted for. "Based on the data we have right now on rescued (42) and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted for," Captain Cayabyab said, emphasizing that these numbers could change as the search and rescue operations continued. The incident has prompted ongoing investigations and rescue efforts to ascertain the full extent of the tragedy and locate the missing individuals.