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.