Death toll in Philippines ferry fire rises to 35 as more bodies are recovered

CORON, Philippines — The fire that gutted a passenger ferry in the Philippines, killing at least 35 people, spread so fast that one man didn’t have time to get a life jacket as others stepped on him in panic.

Fifty-four people are still missing since the fire tore through the ferry Wednesday night near southwestern Palawan province. There were 43 survivors. Images provided by the coast guard showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car.

“The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned,” Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted in a video broadcast by News5. He said that he jumped from a window. “I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic.”

Rescuers on Thursday struggled to get inside the vessel because of the heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for passengers who may been trapped. On Friday, the death rose to 35 as more bodies were recovered.

The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was around 4.5 miles off the village of Turda near its…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world