A two-story ferry carrying 544 passengers caught fire after docking in the central Philippines on Saturday. People jumped into the sea and clambered down the roof deck to escape the black smoke.
| Vessel | : | MV Wonderful Stars |
| Vessel Operator | : | Roble Shipping Line |
| Location | : | Ormoc Port |
| Reason | : | Fire in Engine Room |
| History | : | This accident was the second in Ormoc in two months. On July 2, the Nirvana-B capsized killing over 60 people soon after itleft Ormoc port en route to Cebu. |
All passengers were safe, and two of the crew members suffered bruises and cuts, officials said.
Video footage showed several men jumping into the water from the MV Wonderful Stars, engulfed in smoke as firefighters struggled to put out the blaze hours after the fire broke out. The ferry had just arrived at a pier in the port city of Ormoc on Leyte Island from nearby Cebu city. Sarah Jane Balmaceda of the coast guard office in Ormoc said two of the 59 crew were slightly injured and treated in a hospital. Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire.
Images:
Credits: John Kevin Pilapil
Source: Yahoo News, Philippines
