Philippine Media is reporting about a ferry with 124 passengers on board that caught fire in Philippine waters today.
Five women and two men died after a vessel carrying 124 passengers excluding crew members heading to Real, Quezon caught fire early Monday morning, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
The PCG said in a bulletin that four are still unaccounted for while 105 were rescued from the Mercraft 2 that left Polillo Island at around 5 a.m.
Polillo is an island in the northeastern region of the Philippine archipelago. It is the largest island and the namesake of the Polillo Islands. It is separated from Luzon Island by the Polillo Strait and forms the northern side of Lamon Bay
The ship was reportedly just 1,000 yards away from the port of Real, the Ferry terminal in Real, Quezon, Philippines when a fire broke out in its engine room.
Rescue operations and firefighting headed by PCG personnel in Real in coordination with the local government there and other Roro vessels are still underway.
Mercraft 2 has been towed to the nearest shoreline of Baluti Island in Real, Quezon. —
