The Coast Guard Station Basilan assisted in the search and rescue operations during a fire incident onboard M/V Lady Mary Joy 3. Philippine Coast Guard's Facebook page

The Coast Guard Station Basilan assisted in the search and rescue operations during a fire incident onboard M/V Lady Mary Joy 3. Philippine Coast Guard's Facebook page

The Coast Guard Station Basilan assisted in the search and rescue operations during a fire incident onboard M/V Lady Mary Joy 3. Philippine Coast Guard's Facebook page

MANILA (8th UPDATE) — At least 28 people were killed after a fire razed a commercial boat off the coast of Basilan province on Wednesday night, authorities said.

The fatalities included at least six children, one of them a 6-month-old baby, Basilan Governor Jim Hataman-Salliman told ABS-CBN News.

MV Lady Mary Joy 3, carrying some 200 passengers, was on its way to Sulu from Zamboanga when it caught fire off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan's Hadji Muhtamad town past 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The initial death toll was reported at 12, but more cadavers were found inside the ill-fated ship Thursday afternoon as authorities began investigating the cause of the fire, Salliman said, citing reports from Hadji Muhtamad Mayor Arsina Nanoh.

Another body was also found floating off Isabela town, the governor said.

Initial reports from authorities also placed the total number of casualties at 31, but they revised it Saturday to 28, based on the number of confirmed bodies found and recovered.

Around 216 people were rescued from the ship, including 35 crewmembers, according to Philippine Coast Guard Zamboanga Station Commander Christopher Domingo.

Rescuers, including the PCG personnel and fishermen, saved passengers and crew as the blaze ripped through the ferry.

Survivors were taken to Zamboanga and Basilan, and the injured received treatment for burns, Salliman said.

Fourteen people were injured and seven were still missing, with Salliman saying there could be more people missing because the number of passengers on the vessel exceeded the 205 listed in the ship's manifest.

The cause of the blaze remained unclear, the Basilan governor said.

"Hindi ako nakakuha ng accurate na kuwento kung ano talaga iyong nangyari kasi karamihan sa na-rescue rito sa Basilan, doon sa mga nakausap ko, nagising sila may sunog na," he said in a separate ANC interview.

(I don't have an accurate account of what happened because most of those rescued here in Basilan, the ones I talked to, they said the fire had already erupted when they woke up.)

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Citing eyewitness accounts, PCG's Marfe said the fire started from an air-conditioned cabin.

The PCG deployed a 4-man Maritime Casualty Investigation Team (MCIT) from Manila to investigate the incident, with the team expected to arrive within Thursday, Marfe said.

He added that a Marine Environmental Protection (MEP) was also deployed to Basilan to check on a possible oil spill.

"So far, wala namang reported na oil spill sa area," Marfe told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

(So far, there is no reported oil spill in the area.)

The ship has reached the shore of Baluk-Baluk, said Nixon Alonzo, the chief of disaster reduction and management office in Basilan.

"Base po sa pagpunta ko pabalik doon… wala namang mga tagas-tagas [na langis]. Kaya lang, may umuusok pa at may mga naririnig kami na mga putok-putok doon sa loob na hindi naman mayadong marami," he told TeleRadyo.

(There are no leaks. However, it is still smoking and we also heard several explosions from inside.)

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it sent food and water packs to survivors as well as temporary shelters.

PPA spokesperson Eunice Samonte said in a public briefing that they were also assisting in the transfer of the remains of those killed in the fire, with 4 of them already transported to the Zamboanga Port as of writing.

REACTIONS

In a statement, Senator Grace Poe called for an establishment of an "independent agency that will conduct thorough and truthful investigations, and provide corresponding recommendations."

Poe said the body "will also ensure the worthiness of our transportation — air, land and sea — to avert accidents."

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She lamented how two major maritime incidents happened in Philippine waters within only a month, including the sinking of MT Princess Empress that caused on ongoing oil spill affecting Oriental Mindoro and other nearby provinces.

"From a motor tanker's sinking to a vessel fire. Even before reparations are done on an incident, another tragedy strikes, claiming lives and harming the environment. Clearly, the safety component in our transportation is sorely lacking," Poe said.

"As we push for our bill creating the Philippine Transportation Safety Board, we will continue to keep watch to ensure that the needs of the victims in the recent sea tragedies are addressed and those responsible will be held accountable," the senator added.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, is plagued by poor sea transport, with its badly regulated ferries prone to overcrowding and accidents.

— With reports from Queenie Casimiro; Raffy Cabristante, Mike Navallo, and Benise Balaoing, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse