Ferry fire kills 17

Ferry fire kills 17

CEBU, Philippines (AFP): A ferry carrying 204 people caught fire in the southeastern Philippines overnight, leaving at least 17 people dead and 27 missing, the coast guard said here yesterday.

A total 160 passengers of the Flo-Succor, a 231-ton vessel based at this central Philippine port, have been rescued in the Leyte Gulf south of Samar island so far, and the search for more missing persons was continuing, Chief Petty Officer Julian Catimbang told AFP.

The blaze broke out in the engine room around midnight and swiftly spread up to the decks, he said. The cause of the fire was not known.

The search for the missing is being concentrated off the small island of Manicani, about 625 kilometers southeast of Manila, Coast Guard Commander Felino Elevazo told AFP in Manila.