Only two passengers are still missing, and authorities are checking to see if the two were missing or were rescued, but they immediately went home without first notifying officials who were leading the search, the Coast Guard said.
The ferry, carrying a total of 87 passengers and crew members, was traveling from Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro province and was more than a kilometer away from the port of Batangas when smoke and flames appeared on one of the decks, one of the rescued passengers said. .
The short distance of the ferry to the port allowed for the rapid rescue of endangered passengers even at night, by coast guard vessels and nearby ships, motor vehicles and tugboats.
One ship helped the Coast Guard put out the fire, which almost completely destroyed the ferry that was also carrying at least 16 cars and trucks, Coast Guard officials said.
The ferry, which was towed to the anchorage, can carry a maximum of about 400 passengers, the coast guard said, adding that the cause of the fire is not yet known and that the investigation is ongoing.
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