MANILA: A ferry carrying 124 passengers and 10 crew members caught fire on Monday while going to a town in Quezon province on the main Luzon island, killing at least seven people, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokeswoman said.
According to news report, the vessel Mercraft 2 departed Polillo, an island town in the province, at 5:00 a.m. local time and was heading to a port in Real town when it caught fire just 900 metres from the dock.
Passengers and personnel were forced to jump into the sea due to the fire. 105 people were recovered from the sea, according to Balilo, and six passengers were transferred to a local hospital.
The PCG shared photos and videos of the incident, which showed a fire devouring the ferry and people scrambling to escape onto a raft. People were seen clinging to floating things and ropes in another photo. A PCG member was also seen in a video reviving a man.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by authorities.
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