Passenger ferry catches fire off Bohol

Handout photo from the Philippine Coast Guard showed MV Esperanza Star on fire on June 18, 2023
Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:41 p.m.) — A ferry carrying at least 120 passengers and crew members caught fire at sea off Panglao in Bohol, the Philippine Coast Guard said Sunday. 

MV Esperanza Star caught fire at dawn, according to the PCG. Images released by the PCG showed flames and smoke billowing from the ferry. 

Authorities declared the fire out at around 10 a.m., but Coast Guard personnel remained in the area to monitor the situation. 

MV Esperanza Star has 65 passengers and 55 crew members aboard, although the number of passengers may still change. The Coast Guard said in an update that all the vessel’s passengers and crew members are safe at the Tagbilaran Port. 

The passenger-cargo vessel departed from Port of Lazi in Siquijor en route to the Port of Tagbilaran in Bohol. 

MV Esperanza Star is owned by Kho Shipping Lines. — Gaea Katreena Cabico

 

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