hits

CORON, Philippines: The bodies of passengers killed in a ferry fire off the Philippines arrived at a port near the resort town of Coron, Palawan on Saturday morning, as the country’s coast guard warned the death toll of 35 would grow.

AFP watched tents being set up to accept 30 bodies brought from the M/V June Aster, which ran aground near the tourist hotspot after a fire erupted Wednesday evening and tore through the vessel “in seconds”.

Coast guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab told a Saturday press conference the remains would be turned over to police forensic investigators for “proper disposition and identification” before allowing local authorities to inform family members.

“Currently, we are focused on the retrieval, and after that we will proceed with the investigation,” she said, confirming the bodies had been found in the ship’s economy accommodation area.

Police investigators were seen arriving at the port shortly after the press conference ended.

Asked how many bodies remained aboard the ship, she said authorities would provide an update later in the day.

Cayabyab told AFP on Friday evening that the first transfer had been capped at 30 bodies due to the capacity of the patrol vessel transporting them and that additional cadavers remained on the ferry.

Five others had been confirmed dead in the immediate wake of the fire.

Photos released by the coast guard showed rows of body bags being placed into a small ship alongside men in hazmat suits.

Thirty passengers and 13 crew have so far been rescued, while 54 people remain unaccounted for.

On Friday, Cayabyab had told a radio station the fire had begun in the cargo hold, then tore through the ship within seconds.

“From the time that they heard the loud explosion, the appearance of smoke, and then fire. It spread very quickly,” she said of survivors’ accounts.

“Everything happened in seconds,” she said, adding that those who made it off the ship had not even had time to put on life jackets.

‘Lost hope’

Myra Cabilan told AFP she had flown to Coron to find her missing brother, 40-year-old Rammel Gonzaga, who had taken the ferry from Manila on a business trip with his brother-in-law.

“His wife had just given birth a month ago. He was so happy he was given a daughter,” Cabilan said, fighting back tears.

“At dawn, I still believed he survived. But he’s still missing. I have lost hope.”

Hundreds of people desperate for news about the incident have taken to leaving comments on the Facebook page of a local mayor, searching for relatives, friends and even a dog.

The ferry’s manifest listed 134 crew and passengers, but two had not boarded, according to the coast guard. The ferry was also carrying goods, an electric vehicle, a pickup truck, and motorcycles.

The archipelago nation of 116 million has a long history of disasters involving the inter-island ferries that ply its seas.

Many rely on cheap and poorly regulated boats and ships for transport between the country’s more than 7,000 islands, despite regular accidents.

In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying more than 340 people sank off the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people.

The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank along nearly the same route where 31 people died in 2023 after a fire broke out aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.

On Thursday, the company that owns the M/V June Aster, Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc, said it was fully cooperating with the investigation.

THIS is the scary moment a Ryanair plane’s wingtip hit the ground as it came into land at Dublin Airport.

A passenger filmed the moment the plane lurched to the right and suffered a “minor wingtip impact” during a rough landing yesterday morning.

The Boeing 737 Max, which took off from Bologna just after 8am came in to land at Dublin at 10.45am.

As it touched down on the runway, the plane tumbled onto its right-hand side.

Shocked passengers watched as the wing tips of the plane brushed against the runway.

Recognising the danger of the dodgy landing, the Ryanair pilots immediately brought the engines up to full power to perform a go-around.

This is where a plane aborts its landing attempt and flies in a loop around the airport to try again.

The two pilots were able to guide the plane safely onto the ground about 15 minutes later.

In a statement, Ryanair described the incident as a “minor wingtip impact”.

A spokesperson told us yesterday: “On landing in Dublin this evening (10 Sept) Ryanair flight FR9457 from Bologna suffered a minor wing tip impact.

“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers offloaded normally.

“Our engineers are now repairing this wing tip and the aircraft is expected back into service tomorrow morning (11 Sept).”

It comes as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary came under fire for “shameful” comments he made describing other airlines as “high-fare rapists”.

The Ryanair chief landed himself in hot water ahead of his budget airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin yesterday.

The billionaire businessman, 65, claimed rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair, before doubling down on his claims.

In response, Labour’s Laura Harmon urged the notorious motormouth to engage with organisations like the Rape Crisis Centre, and to apologise for his “shocking” language.

The senator fumed: “Michael O’Leary must apologise for the comments he made in advance of Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin.

“The casual use of the word ‘rapist’ to describe the prices of his competitors is deeply shocking and could be traumatising for any survivor of sexual abuse.

“We should have a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence. In recent years, due to the tireless work of activists and the bravery of survivors of sexual violence who have shared their stories, Ireland has taken a strong stance in support of survivors.

“It is shameful to see O’Leary diminish the real experience of these survivors in such a way.”

Harmon continued: “Every week brings shocking new statistics and stories about the levels of domestic and sexual violence against women in our country.

“Reports conducted by organisations like the National Women’s Council of Ireland often detail the systemic challenges victims of domestic violence are faced with when they look for help – through the courts and the legal system, and through first responders like the Gardai.

“Having O’Leary make such ignorant comments only adds to this. I would urge him to come out and apologise today, and commit to informing himself about the real trauma of sexual violence.”

Fianna Fail’s Lorraine Clifford-Lee also condemned O’Leary’s comments as “a new low” for the Ryanair CEO.