Fire from MV June Aster yet to be fully extinguished; No new survivors reported

Responders are still trying to put out the flames and smoke in MV June Aster on Friday, according to the Coron Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Emergency Operations.

“Ongoing pa rin yung firefighting operations and ngayon na rin po ay nakalapit na rin sila sa barko at sinisimulan na po yung assessment kung pwede na siya pasukin… May usok pa raw po, at inaapula pa yung usok,” said Coron Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Emergency Operations Center spokesperson Kristine Mechelle Ablan in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(Firefighting operations are still ongoing, and they have been able to approach the boat, and they are assessing if it can be entered…there is still smoke; they are trying to put out the smoke.)

She said no new survivors or bodies have been recovered and 84 people are still missing.

Five people have already been reported dead, while 43 have been rescued from the Coron ship fire.

In a separate update from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), a number of responders were able to enter the vessel. However there were still flames coming from inside.

At 10:16 a.m., the PCG conducted aerial surveys in the vicinity waters of Coron, Palawan. Smoke could still be seen from the vessel. —VAL, GMA News