2 hurt as fire engulfs ferry at Ormoc port

ORMOC CITY, Philippines – A two-story ferry with 542 passengers caught fire several minutes after docking here yesterday, sending several passengers jumping overboard and clambering down the roof deck to escape black smoke.

Officials said all passengers were safe and only two crewmembers of the ferry MV Wonderful Stars suffered cuts and bruises.

The injured crewmembers were identified as Jake Rondell Guinocor and Daryll Lee Bentoy.

The ferry had just arrived at the pier here from Cebu City when it caught fire.

Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.

While there were no casualties, the fire destroyed the ship’s cargo.

According to Teodoro Franco Omega, representative of Roble Shipping Lines, the owners and operators of the ferry, most of the ship’s cargo were burned, which included several brand new cars to be delivered to a dealer in Leyte.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

“We would check what happened to the ship… What is important here is that we establish what happened so that we would know what caused the fire, so that we would be able to avoid a similar incident from occurring once more. We have to check on the safety aspect of the vessel,” PCG spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said.

The initial report received by the PCG head office showed the blaze started from the cabin of the crew.

“We still have to check on that,” Balilo said.

Last month, a ferry was lashed by strong waves and capsized moments after departing Ormoc, leaving more than 60 people dead. – Evelyn Macairan