Ship catches fire off Mindoro, 5 die
Five people died and seven others were injured when a passenger ship went up in flames off Mindoro island's Paluan Bay Sunday morning.
Reports said some of the passengers and crewmen jumped to the sea after they saw flames had already engulfed parts of the vessel. Most of them suffered burns on their faces.
At least 100 of those who jumped to safety were rescued by fishing boats.
Rear Admiral Damian Carlos, meanwhile, told abs-cbnNEWS.com in a telephone interview that the MV Cataleen-D left Pier 2 at the Manila North Harbor around 7 p.m. Saturday. He said the ship was bound for Coron, Palawan.
He said that an initial inquiry with the ship’s crew revealed that fire started from the vessel's cargo section around 5 a.m. Carlos added that the captain of the ship steered the vessel toward the shoreline of Mindoro when firefighters failed to control the blaze.
He said the cause of the blaze has not been determined.
“Marami pwede umipasahan. Baka pwede naninigarilyo, pwede rin spontaneous combustion. Nagtatanong pa kami. (There are a lot of possible sources. It could be that someone was smoking a cigarette, it is also possible that there was a spontaneous combustion. We are still asking around),” he said.
Carlos said that 260 passengers were on board when the ship caught fire. He said the first distress call was sent by the crew shortly before 8 a.m. Carlos said the BRP Pampanga was the first Coast Guard ship that responded.
“It was a good thing that the rescuers were on a mission in Corregidor,” he said. The Coast Guard will be conducting a thorough investigation on the cause of the blaze. The fatalities were brought to a funeral parlor in Pasay City.
A DZMM report identified the ship's captain as Danilo Faeldog. The vessel is owned by San Nicolas Shipping Lines based in Manila.
The ship fire Sunday was the second tragedy to hit the shipping firm.
In 2003, some 25 people were killed when a ship owned by the same company collided with a WGA Super Ferry vessel. The MV San Nicolas sank near the Corregidor Island after the accident. The ship had 203 passengers.
Five people were killed today and several more injured when a ferry carrying 260 passengers caught fire off Mindoro island's Paluan Bay in rough seas. One of those killed was a five-year-old girl. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Pasay City. The wooden-hulled ferry was completely destroyed by the fire and sank as a result.

Rear Admiral Damian Carlos of the Philippine Coast Guard told reporters that the fire started in the cargo hold of MV Cataleen-D about 5 a.m. local time (2100 UTC yesterday), and the first distress signal was received by authorities at approximately 8 a.m. He went on to speculate that a cigarette or spontaneous combustion may have caused the blaze.

When the captain realised the firefighters were unable to contain the blaze he steered the vessel towards the Mindoro shoreline.

Most of the passengers and crew jumped into the safety of the sea when they saw that other parts of the ship had been engulfed by flames. The majority of them suffered burns to their faces. The first Coast Guard ship that responded was BRP Pampanga, with local fishing vessels saving around a hundred of those in the water. Carlos said of the Coast Guard, “It was a good thing that the rescuers were on a mission in Corregidor.”

The ship was owned by Manila-based San Nicolas Shipping Lines and captained by Danilo Faeldog. It had departed from Pier 2 at the Manila North Harbor around 7 p.m. Saturday, and was destined for Coron, Palawan.

It is the second disaster to strike San Nicolas Shipping Lines. In 2004 the MV San Nicolas sank after a collision with a WGA Super Ferry vessel. The San Nicolas was carrying 203 passengers, of which 25 were fatally injured.

The Coast Guard has initiated a full investigation into the cause of the disaster. The Maritime Industry Authority is expected to conduct its own investigation via the Board of Marine Inquiry. Carlos said the vessel's owner, identified as Samuel Nicolas, and anyone else found responsible could be charged with "reckless imprudence resulting in possible homicide."