At least 31 killed in Basilan ferry fire

Zamboanga City, Philippines — At least 31 persons died and 230 others were rescued after a fire engulfed the ferry M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province late Wednesday night, authorities said yesterday.

The 33-year-old vessel, registered as a roll-on/roll-off or Ro-Ro type, was travelling from Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu when the fire started in the passenger area and quickly spread to the kitchen area, prompting passengers to jump overboard, said Nixon Alonzo, Basilan’s disaster risk reduction officer.

Rescuers, including the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and several fishermen, saved 195 passengers and 35 crewmembers as the blaze ripped through the ferry. Seven are still reported missing.

Alonzo said a team of fire investigators could not penetrate the vessel’s lower deck as of yesterday afternoon as its surface remained very hot.

Commodore Rejard Marfe, PCG district commander of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said in a radio interview that 11 bodies were recovered at sea while 18 were recovered inside the vessel.

Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman told AFP that the 18 – including two children and a six-month-old baby – were found inside the air-conditioned cabin during a search.

He added that there could be more people missing because the number of passengers on the vessel exceeded the 205 persons listed in the ship’s manifest.

Marfe said Lady Mary Joy 3 left Zamboanga Port on Wednesday evening with 205 passengers, 35 crewmembers and some security personnel from the PCG and the Philippine Army.

Cmdr. Christopher Domingo, PCG station chief, said the ship captain immediately alerted the coastguard station when the fire broke out, prompting them to deploy three vessels, including one from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources the coastguard personnel manned, to respond and conduct firefighting and rescue operations.

“It was a sad day for all of us. We received calls from the boat captain about 10 p.m. reporting that their ship was on fire,” Domingo said, adding that some fishing boats passing the vicinity also responded and assisted in the rescue.

Photos released by the PCG showed one of its vessels spraying water on the burning ferry as personnel in smaller boats plucked people from the dark waters.

Marfe said that the fire was put out at around 7:30 am.

“People panicked because they were asleep when the fire happened,” Marfe said, citing witness accounts. The captain ran the vessel aground as the fire spread “so many more could survive since it would be easier to swim to shore.”

Thick smoke

According to Pfc. Jobert Galas of the 41st Infantry Battalion, who was among the 21 soldiers on board, they were already fast asleep when commotion broke out with some passengers shouting that the boat was filled with smoke.

“We were asleep when we heard passengers rushing and shouting there was thick smoke and as we went out from our cabin there was already a big fire and everyone was already rushing out while we looked for life vests and jumped out,” Galas said.

Another survivor, nine-year-old Sam, told Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman that his father Hussin Halul rescued him and his mother. However, he lost his father while his mother is listed among the missing.

Hataman said the young survivor would remain under the care of the city government.

Marfe said several survivors told them that the vessel was not overloaded as it was not congested, and that people could still move freely inside. He also noted that the vessel had enough life vests and that the sea condition was calm during the incident.

A maritime casualty investigation team, he added, flew to Basilan yesterday afternoon to determine the cause of fire and the possible liabilities of Alesson Shipping Lines, which owns the ill-fated vessel.

Domingo said an initial investigation showed the fire originated from the passengers’ accommodation area and quickly spread toward the kitchen area.

“According to the ship captain the fire started at the passengers’ accommodation area in the air conditioned section and reached the kitchen where an explosion reportedly occurred, possibly from an LPG tank,” Domingo said.

First District Rep. Khymer Adan Olaso, whose wife’s family owns Alesson Shipping, also received a similar report from the boat captain.

Both Olaso and Domingo said the ship captain was on instruction to bring the ship to shore and run her aground to lessen casualties.

“That was the instruction to the captain to bring her to the shoreline and run aground on the island,” Olaso said, adding that Alesson Shipping will help shoulder the expenses of all the victims.

Domingo said based on the manifest, all the passengers of the ill-fated boat were accounted for. However, he said a coastguard vessel remained in the area to continue its recovery efforts and prevent a possible oil spill.

Show cause

Galileo Garcia, officer-in-charge of the Zamboanga Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) regional office, said they suspended yesterday the vessel’s Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.

He added that they would also issue a Show Cause Order to Alesson Shipping.

“We started to do occasional inspection of their vessels in light of this incident, we will cover all of their passenger Ro-Ro vessels,” Garcia said.

He also said that the “MARINA-Enforcement Service Central Office Casual Investigating Team would conduct their investigation soon.”

Garcia noted that Lady Mary Joy 3 underwent its annual safety check and that it was drydocked from Sept. 22, 2022 to Oct. 19, 2022.

During its last inspection, he said no deficiency was noted and that all were “found to be in satisfactory condition” after the drydocking. — Robertzon Ramirez, John Unson, Evelyn Macairan, AFP