Ferry disaster: 31 dead

Jim Hataman, governor of Basilan province in the Philippines, said the ferry from the southern port city of Zamboanga to the city of Jolo in Sulu province caught fire around midnight off Basilan.

Stating that 31 people were killed, Hataman said search and rescue efforts are continuing for at least 7 missing passengers. Stating that the rescued passengers jumped from the ferry when the fire intensified and were pulled out of the sea with the help of the coast guard, navy and fishermen, Hataman noted that at least 23 passengers were injured and taken to hospitals.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. In December 1987, the Philippine-flagged ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker truck. The accident, which killed more than 4,300 people, was recorded as the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. (AA)