Authorities in the Philippines said on Sunday (September 13, 2026) it could take weeks or months to identify the victims of a ferry fire that killed 76 people, as forensic experts begin collecting and comparing DNA samples from charred remains and investigators determine what caused one of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters in recent years.
Some remains were found clustered together in parts of the vessel, said forensic specialist Richard Allan Mangalip from the Philippine National Police, while others were scattered across different areas of the ship, which was carrying more than 130 people and was nearing its destination when it caught fire. That assessment came a day after rescuers recovered 41 additional remains from the ferry, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for. The fire is the latest in a string of deadly maritime accidents in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, where millions rely on ferries and small boats to travel.
Investigators said they had yet to determine where the fire started and were still trying to access key sections of the vessel, including flooded lower decks and the engine room, where evidence may help establish the cause. A statement from the Maritime Industry Authority, citing survivor accounts, said two explosions were heard inside the vessel shortly before the fire broke out.
