3 die in Zambo ferry fire

Three persons have been confirmed dead, all passengers of a sea vessel that went up in flames off the waters of Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Sur past midnight on Wednesday.

Initial reports by the Philippine Coast Guard indicated that all passengers and crew of the Lite Ferry 16 were safe. Two of the casualties were children, aged one year old and the other three months.

Commodore Gregorio Adel, Jr., PCG Northern Mindanao district commander, said 245 have been rescued so far.

Three rescue boats and a speedboat were dispatched to Tag-ulo Point, about an hour away from Pulauan Port in Dapitan City.

The vessel came from Samboan, Cebu before it caught fire around 12:30 a.m.

PCG officials are looking at engine trouble as cause of the fire.