The ferry had departed from Manila carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members and was approaching Coron, a tourist hotspot, when the blaze erupted at 18:45 local time (10:45 GMT) on Wednesday.
The fire was still burning as of 11:00 on Thursday, with strong currents and thick smoke creating major challenges for those attempting to extinguish the flames, according to the coastguard.
Video clips released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday night showed the vessel engulfed in flames as people were pulled from the water into rescue boats.
One survivor, Roland Lerma, told the BBC that he floated in the sea for two hours before being rescued. “It was cold. If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Preliminary interviews with survivors indicated that the fire started in the cargo hold, the compartment where containers or goods are stored, the coastguard said. Officials also noted that some passengers were not wearing life vests.
Forty-three people have been rescued, although it remains unclear how many suffered injuries. Seven survivors were taken to a hospital in Culion, a larger neighbouring island with higher bed capacity and more comprehensive healthcare services.
A first responder told the BBC that they had never seen such a disaster in Coron, describing the incident as “really heartbreaking”.
“I was one of the people who carried and transported the casualties to the hospital last night,” the first responder said, adding that the ferry was an hour away from its destination when the fire broke out.
The survivors were taken to an evacuation centre in Barangay Turda, which is located just north of Marcilla. Their condition remains unclear.
The disaster has also left families searching desperately for missing relatives. Rai Garcia has three family friends among those still unaccounted for.
Mae Lorraine Galera-Navoa, the sister of Garcia’s brother-in-law, had travelled to Luzon to attend her father’s funeral. She was accompanied by her husband, Elyzer Navoa, and their three-year-old daughter, Hiraya Joy.
The family was travelling home to El Nido in Palawan aboard the vessel when it caught fire.
“We haven't received any news yet. That's why we had to comment on local news threads just to receive updates,” Garcia said.
“We still hope and pray for their safety.”
Garcia and his family also made a poster appealing for information about the family of three, using a photograph Mae had taken aboard the ferry and shared with immediate relatives.
Other relatives have posted on the Philippine Coast Guard’s Facebook page seeking information about missing loved ones. “Please can you find my sibling,” one comment read.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands. Inter-island ferries provide a cheap way for people and cargo to travel between islands, some of which are inaccessible by air.
However, severe weather, monsoon rains and typhoons can create turbulent conditions. The country is affected by an average of 20 typhoons every year.
Previous accidents have also been blamed on poor maintenance and uneven enforcement of safety laws.
In 2023, 31 people died after a fire broke out aboard the passenger ferry MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in the country’s south-western tip. The vessel was travelling to Basilan island from Zamboanga city, a major port on the main southern island of Mindanao.
With 86 people still missing, the MV June Aster fire could become one of the worst ferry disasters to have occurred in the Philippines in recent years.
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