MARINA investigates Cebu ferry fire

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has started a probe on the fire that hit a Cebu-bound passenger vessel on Sunday.

Officials from MARINA Regional Office VII and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have extended assistance to 92 passengers and 29 crew members who were rescued, according to a press release issued on Monday.

The MV Lite Ferry 28, which came from Tagbilaran City, Bohol, caught fire as it was about to dock at the Port of Taloot in Argao, Cebu.

Smoke belches from the engine and pilot rooms of the Lite Ferry 28 Roll On, Roll Off vessel after it caught fire near the Taloot Wharf in Argao, Cebu, on Sunday, September 2, 2018. Photo courtesy of MDRRMO Argao

Private cargo ship LCT Miami, which was docked at Taloot Port, immediately rescued and transported all passengers and crew to the port.

Two more vessels — PCG's BRP Capones and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)'s MCS 3007 — also rendered assistance and firefighting operations. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KG, GMA News