It rises to 76 deaths in fire on ferry in the Philippines

Othe bodies will be transported to a port of the tourist resort of Coron, in the province of Palawan, declared the spokesman of the coast guard, Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, in a statement.

The authorities of the Philippines said they're looking for the ferry commander where it started on Wednesday, near the island of Coron.

Coast Guard spokesman, Noemie Cayabyab, mentioned earlier in a press conference that, according to the ongoing investigation, the commander may be among the 43 survivors.

The authorities intend to listen to the master of the vessel to determine any liability in the accident. Cayabyab mentioned earlier that the possibility of negligence by the crew is not ruled out.

“ Undoubtedly, the captain has a responsibility and a legal obligation ", said Cayabyab in an intervention transmitted through social networks.

According to the investigations, the fire started in the cargo hold of the ferry, which left on Tuesday in Manila for a journey that should take about 12 hours.

The causes of the accident have not yet been determined, but within minutes the flames involved the vessel, where 115 passengers and 17 crew were traveling.

On Friday, authorities were able to access the passenger ship for the first time and recover the remains of 30 people, raising the number of confirmed deaths to 35.

The emergency teams also continue the work of recovering bodies inside the ship, which was towed near the coast of Corón, in the tourist province of Palawan, in the South China Sea, to facilitate operations.

Marine accidents in the Philippines cause dozens of victims each year, most of them in shipwrecks caused by bad weather, non-compliance with safety standards, poor equipment maintenance or overload.