The Philippine Coast Guard said a Philippine ferry carrying 82 passengers and crew caught fire while approaching a port south of Manila and at least 73 people on board were rescued, explaining that search and rescue efforts continue after the onset of darkness. for the passengers and crew of the Asia-Philippines Ferry, an inter-island cargo and passenger ship from nearby Mindoro Island.

The Coast Guard said, “The ferry can carry up to 400 passengers, and there have been cases in the past of ferries carrying undocumented passengers in violation of regulations.” A 44-year-old woman who was among those rescued was taken to hospital with unspecified injuries, and video footage released by the Coast Guard showed flames and black smoke rising from a ferry that was alongside other ships off the port of Batangas and the cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Accidents at sea in the Philippine archipelago are common due to frequent storms, poor ship maintenance, overcrowding and sporadic enforcement of safety regulations, especially in outlying provinces. In January 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing over 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.