(Update) Four die in Palawan fire

Four children of a Japanese national were burned beyond recognition following a fire that struck a residential area in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province before dawn Friday, police said. Sr. Supt. Arsenio Pinacate, provincial police chief, identified the fatalities as Rogelyn, 15; Yoga, 13; Ryoko, 10; and Marriane 3, all children of one Mr. Caruke, a Japanese national. Pinacate said the fire started 1:40 a.m. at the Caruke residence at Purok Sampaguita in Mandaragat village and spread to other houses. It was not immediately known if Caruke was present at the time of the fire although his wife, Roselyn, and the children’s nanny, Grace Ballesteros, survived the incident. A neighbor, identified as Danilo Eleazar, was reported injured in the fire, Pinacate said. Eleven houses were also gutted by the fire, rendering 16 families homeless. Radio station dzBB quoted police and firefighters as saying the victims' bodies were recovered at about 4:30 a.m., and were charred "beyond recognition." Responding firefighters managed to put out the fire four hours after it started. - GMANews.TV