At Least Five Dead and Dozens Missing After Philippine Ferry Fire

At least five people are dead and 87 remain unaccounted-for after a fire erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot in the Philippines province of Palawan, officials say.

The fire aboard the MV June Aster broke out on Wednesday evening, local time, 2.2 kilometres offshore, the coastguard said, adding that five casualties had been brought ashore.

Video shared by the Philippine Coast Guard on social media showed the ferry completely engulfed by flames.

Coast guard personnel tossed life jackets to survivors as the ferry burnt.

Images shared by the coastguard showed passengers helped into smaller boats and taken to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

"Based on the data we have right now on rescued and the casualties, we still have 87 people who are unaccounted-for," Philippine Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab told a local radio station on Thursday.

She said 42 people had been rescued and that the ship's manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew.

"Just to make it clear, this is live data and may change as our search and rescue operations are ongoing," Captain Cayabyab said.

Of those rescued, 38 were passengers and four were crew, she said.

Bad weather and big waves were challenging rescuers, and sea currents had dragged the ferry several nautical miles from its initial location, she said.

Captain Cayabyab said it was still unclear what caused the fire and the coast guard is coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to get more details.

MarineTraffic data showed the June Aster departed from Manila