Casualties in Mindoro ship fire identified

At least five people were killed in a fire that hit passenger ship MV Catalyn D off Mindoro Island Sunday, radio DZBB reported. Commander Joseph Coyme, spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard, told dZBB that they received reports at about 8 a.m., Sunday, that MV Catalyn-D, owned by San Nicolas Lines, was on its way to Palawan when tragedy struck. DzBB said the fatalities were airlifted to Manila and are now at the Philippine Coast Guard's headquarters along Roxas Boulevard. Another DzBB report at about 5:30 p.m. identified three of the five fatalities as Virgilio Saul Napoles, 49, Jun Hagos, 46 and a girl aged between four to five years old. DzBB said the fourth victim remains to be identified while the fifth fatality, according to Coyme, was brought to Palawan on board MV Sabrina. Meanwhile, dzBB said among the individuals who suffered injuries from the incident were identified as the following: Lydia Galera, 74, Melissa Umapas, 46, Rosalie Guimban, 20, Roan Dela Torre, 11, a certain Jared Lee, Hilda Reyes and Rosalyn Guarin. The report said the seven were brought to the Philippine General Hospital and other medical centers in Manila. Others who sustained minor injuries were also reportedly brought to other hospitals for treatment. DzBB said MV Catalyn D had a total of 255 passengers including the fatalities. However, the report said only 216 passengers and 21 crew members were on the ship's manifest. Coast Guard Admiral Damian Carlos was quoted by dzBB as saying that the fire started from the ship's storage room, though investigators have not yet reported if there were flammables stored in the area. The ship's captain, a certain Capt. Paeldog, is already under the Coast Guard's custody, dzBB said. The ship was en route from Manila to southwestern Palawan province with at least 216 passengers and 21 crewmen on board when the fire broke out, Coyme said, prompting passengers to abandon the ferry. He said several passing ships rescued passengers, and the coast guard was still in the process of matching names of people recovered with those on the manifest. So far 128 survivors have been counted, while another passing ship which rescued about a hundred people has not yet submitted its list, Coyme said. Tess Delgado, booking officer of the shop's owner San Nicholas Lines Inc., said aside from passengers, the ship was also loaded with cargo including rice and other commodities. A group of rescued passengers were on their way to Manila, while another group was being ferried to Palawan's Coron town, she added. Other details were not immediately available. - GMANews.TV with a report from AP