Key facts
- The death toll from a fire aboard the MV June Aster ferry in the Philippines has risen to 76.
- Rescuers recovered 41 additional bodies on Saturday.
- Thirteen people are still unaccounted for.
- The ferry was carrying more than 130 people when the fire broke out.
- Two explosions were heard inside the vessel shortly before the fire started, according to survivor accounts.
- The fire broke out near the end of the ferry's more than 20-hour journey.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for, as forensic teams began the difficult task of identifying the victims. The bodies were brought to a port in Coron town, where temporary tents were set up for processing. Anelyn Magbanua, 37, expressed hope her husband, who was on the ferry with over 130 people, was alive. Firefighters gained access to the ferry's economy accommodation section on Friday after extinguishing the blaze, discovering burnt remains amid the destruction. Philippine Coast Guard official Geronimo Tuvilla stated that identifying victims and determining the fire's cause were immediate priorities. The Maritime Industry Authority, citing survivor accounts, reported two explosions occurred inside the vessel before the fire erupted. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab indicated the captain might be alive, but his name was not on the list of 43 confirmed survivors. This incident is the latest in a series of deadly maritime accidents in the Philippines, an archipelago where ferries are a primary mode of transport.