MANILA — Rescuers were preparing to re-enter a smoke-filled, heavily damaged ferry off Palawan on Friday as authorities searched for 84 people still missing after a fire killed at least five. The Associated Press reported that the vessel, MV June Aster, had drifted closer to shore overnight but remained difficult to board because of heat and smoke.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the ferry’s manifest listed 134 people: 117 passengers and 17 crew. Forty-three people had been rescued, some after jumping or being pulled from the water, leaving the missing figure subject to confirmation as officials reconcile names and survivors. The Philippine News Agency reported that the Coast Guard was using wind, current and drift modelling to guide the search.

The fire began on Wednesday evening while the ferry was travelling from Manila toward Coron in Palawan. AP reported that the cause had not been established. A shipping-company statement said it was cooperating with maritime authorities and supporting the search, while the Coast Guard continued to assess whether it was safe for responders to board.

The rescue operation is unfolding in layers. Nearby vessels and fishermen helped recover people from the water, coastal patrols checked possible drift routes and medical teams treated survivors. Every hour of smoke, current and darkness makes the location of missing passengers harder to determine, which is why officials have stressed that the figures may change.

The immediate story is a search for lives, not a conclusion about liability. Once the vessel is safe to enter, investigators will need to establish how the fire spread, whether safety equipment was available and whether the manifest accurately reflected everyone on board. Until then, the most defensible account remains five dead, 43 rescued and 84 unaccounted for in the latest AP update.

*Reporting note: this article is based on the source record listed above and is current as of 11 September 2026. Figures and operational claims remain attributed where official or first-day reports can change.*