2 die as ferry catches fire

At least two people were confirmed dead when a commercial vessel caught fire while en route to Zamboanga del Norte from Cebu early morning yesterday.

Lt. Junior Grade Michael Encina, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Central Visayas spokesman, said that M/V Lite Ferry 16 sounded the distress call at around 1:15 a.m. — reporting the fire incident.
The fire resulted in the death of Danilo Gomez, 60, and one-year-old Chloe Labisig.

Unconfirmed reports stated there were two more fatalities who were rushed to Gimputlan, Zamboanga del Norte.

Encina said that the ill-fated vessel has 187 passengers and crew members at the time of the incident.

The other passengers and crew members, led by Desiderio Labiste Jr., were rescued safely. They were brought to a local hotel.
Initial investigation showed that the fire started from the vessel’s engine room.

The commercial vessel was about 1.5 nautical miles from Pulauan Port in Dapitan City when it made the distress call.

Encina said the M/V Lite Ferry 16 left the Port of Samboan in Santander, Cebu on Tuesday night.