At least 31 dead after ferry explosion in Philippines
As fire engulfed the ferry, many of the more than 150 passengers and crew quickly jumped ship near an island.
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According to the Coast Guard, hundreds of passengers survived, but many suffered burns after a fire broke out on board a ferry on March 29.
March 30 (UPI) -- At least 31 people died after an inter-island ferry caught fire near the Philippine's Basilan province, the Philippine Coast Guard said Thursday.
The Coast Guard said as of 7 a.m. EDT that 160 passengers survived the blaze and the 36 crew members of the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 were safe.
A fire broke out following an explosion on the ferry which was sailing southwest from Zamboanga to Jojo, Sulu provinces, at about 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Basilian province Mayor Arsina Kahing-Nanoh said about 35 passengers jumped ship near an island after an explosion on the ferry. The incident happened off the coast of Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan, a province about 580 miles south of the Philippines capital of Manila.
"Some of the passengers had burns on their bodies," Kahing-Nanoh told CNN.
Dramatic videos released by the Basilan provincial government show the ship ablaze as it reaches the shore, while a crowd of residents tries to save survivors from the wreckage.
Commodore Rejard Marfe, coast guard chief in the Mindanao region, said there was "chaos" after the blaze woke people from their sleep and the 18 victims found onboard were "totally burnt," Reuters reported.
"I thought I was dreaming but when I opened my eyes it was dark and we were surrounded by smoke," Mina Nani, 46, a passenger on the ferry, told DZRH radio, according to Reuters.
A passenger ferry carrying about 250 people caught fire in southern Philippines leaving at least 31 dead.
The Coast Guard said that 13 bodies were recovered from the water while 18 were found on the ship.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippines because of frequent storms, badly maintained vessels, and other factors.
Earlier this month, a tanker carrying 211,340 gallons of industrial fuel oil sank in Oriental Mindoro province southwest of Manila, polluting the shores of at least three provinces.
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