A fire broke out on the ferry MV June Aster while it was sailing in waters off the western Philippines, near the town of Coron in Palawan province. According to the country's coast guard, at least five people died in the incident, and a rescue operation is underway.

According to Philippine Coast Guard Captain Noemi Cayabyab, the fire broke out on board the vessel around 18:45 local time (13:45 Moscow time) on Wednesday. She stated that 42 people have been rescued so far, while the search for another 87 is ongoing.

The ferry departed from Manila. There were 134 people on board in total—117 passengers and 17 crew members. There were no foreign nationals among those on the vessel.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, the Associated Press reports.