Three dead in Philippine ferry fire

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MANILA: A packed inter-island ferry caught fire shortly after leaving port in the central Philippines Sunday, leaving three passengers dead, the coast guard said in an initial report.

Initial reports indicated three of the 67 people aboard the MV Island 1 were killed in the blaze with two others still missing, coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Aljir Ricafrente told DZBB radio.

Ricafrente said the accident happened just off Tubigon on the coast of Bohol island, a tourist destination in the central Visayas, as the ferry was heading to Cebu, the main city in the region.

"The coast guard coordinated with motor boats in the area which responded quickly to the emergency," he said.

"Based on the report that we received there were three deaths, but we are still trying to verify this from first hand information," Ricafrente said. "We also have two reported missing."

It was not clear what caused the blaze, and rescue operations were continuing, he said.

Inter-island ferries are the backbone of transport in the Philippines archipelago but deadly accidents involving overloading and the use of old vessels are common.