Saturday concluded with another devastating milestone as 41 more bodies were recovered from the charred wreckage of the MV June Aster in Coron, Palawan, bringing the confirmed death toll from the maritime tragedy to 76, according to Philippine Coast Guard Incident Commander Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla.
Among the grim discoveries, search teams also retrieved a casket containing human remains, believed to be the wife of local barangay captain Ben Indic, alongside the remains of a dog from the gutted vessel.
On Sunday morning, the BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) will transport the dead back to shore, shifting the focal point of a catastrophe that has profoundly shaken this island community. The vessel was just 1.2 nautical miles off Barangay Marcilla when an explosion in the cargo hold triggered an inferno that raced through the ship.
While 43 people managed to scramble into the dark waters and survive, the blinding speed of the disaster left little room for routine safety procedures, with survivors recounting harrowing moments of panic, dense smoke, and blocked corridors.
Out of a manifest originally logging 134 individuals, multi-agency investigators have accounted for 43 survivors, 76 confirmed casualties, and 13 individuals who remain officially unaccounted for, alongside two ticketed passengers who verification checks confirmed ultimately never boarded the vessel.
