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3 killed, 245 rescued in Zambo ferry fire; search on for survivors

Three people were killed and 245 plucked to safety in the southern Philippines Wednesday after a fire tore through a crowded ferry, authorities said, as rescuers hunted for more survivors.

3 killed, 245 rescued in Zambo ferry fire; search on for survivors
SEA TRAGEDY. Lite Ferry 16 was hit by a blaze which officials are investigating. PNA

The blaze broke out before dawn as the Lite Ferry 16 was cruising to Dapitan City from Cebu, prompting some of the terrified passengers to throw themselves overboard, one witness said.

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It is not clear how many passengers were on the vessel, but the

Philippine Coast Guard said 245 people had so far been rescued, and three confirmed dead.

The boat’s official manifest listed just 172 passengers and crew.

3 killed, 245 rescued in Zambo ferry fire; search on for survivors
SEA TRAGEDY. Lite Ferry 16.  AFP, Coast Guard 

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, is plagued by poor sea transport, with badly regulated boats and ships prone to overcrowding and accidents.

Coast Guard spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said search and rescue operations were continuing as authorities worked to determine the exact number of people on the boat.

“We have ordered the captain to explain the discrepancy,” Balilo told AFP.

The ferry’s operator, Danilo Lines, said a team was deployed to assist the rescued passengers and tugboats dispatched to bring the stricken ferry back to port.

3 killed, 245 rescued in Zambo ferry fire; search on for survivors
SEA TRAGEDY. The Philippine Coast Guard rescued the 245 passengers and crew—far higher than the 172 in the boat’s official manifest. Coast Guard 

Some 30 years ago another Philippine ferry, the Doña Paz, collided with an oil tanker in an accident that claimed more than 4,000 lives in the world’s worst peacetime disaster at sea. 

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