At least seven people have died in a sudden fire on a ferry in Quezon, Philippines. The accident was recorded at 06:30 local time (19:30 yesterday, Brazil time) and images of the burning ship were released by the country’s Coast Guard.
There were 134 passengers and crew on the “Mercraft 2” ferry, which departed from Polillo Island of Real on the island of Luzon. According to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Armando Balilo, 127 of them were rescued and 7 died before being rescued.
“We heard an explosion. When we looked, the boat had already caught fire and the passengers jumped into the sea,” said 18-year-old Kycel Pineda, who was traveling on another ferry.
The fire is believed to have started in the ship’s engine room, Balilo reported.
Among the people rescued by the Coast Guard boats, 22 people, including the captain of the ferry, were injured after the incident.
source: Noticias
