Basilan ferry fire: All missing victims accounted for – PCG

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has wrapped up its search and retrieval operations for missing passengers of the ferry M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, which caught fire off Basilan, saying all have been accounted for.

The remains of the last missing passenger were recovered on Tuesday in the waters off Barangay Sulutan Matangal in Hadji Mohammad Adjul town, PCG-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao commander Commodore Rejard Marfe said in a Viber message yesterday.

Marfe said Pfc. Marion Malda, who is among the 25 Army soldiers on the ferry, is the remaining missing passenger.

With this development, the PCG said the death toll in the ferry fire is 33 while 216 survived.

On Wednesday, the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said two more ferry passengers remained missing.

Marfe said PCG personnel are on standby and coordinating with the Basilan PDRRMO for any new development.

Lady Mary Joy 3 was bound for Jolo and carrying over 200 passengers and more than 30 crewmembers when the accident occurred on March 29. It caught fire at around 10:40 p.m. in the waters off Baluk-Baluk Island in Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan.

The fire was put out at around 7:30 a.m. on March 30.

When asked about the progress of the investigation, Marfe said the PCG is waiting for the official report from ”higher-ups.”

PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the agency is also awaiting the report from the Bureau of Fire Protection.