Death toll in Philippine ferry fire rises to 35 as more bodies recovered

The fire that gutted a passenger ferry in the Philippines , killing at least 35 people, spread so fast that one man did not have time to get a life jacket as others stepped on him in panic.

Fifty-four people are still missing since the fire tore through the ferry Wednesday night (September 9, 2026) near southwestern Palawan province. There were 43 survivors. Images provided by the coast guard showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car.

“The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burnt,” Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted in a video broadcast by News5. He said that he jumped from a window. “I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic.”