International Desk : At least 31 passengers have been killed after a fire engulfed a ferry in the southern Philippines, authorities said.

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Disaster officer Nixon Alonzo said the Lady Mary Joy 3 was travelling from Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island to Jolo Island in Sulu province when the fire started late Wednesday, prompting passengers to jump overboard.

Rescuers, including the Philippine Coast Guard and fishermen, saved 195 passengers and 35 crew as the blaze ripped through the ferry off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province.

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Basilan Governor Jim Salliman said earlier the death toll more than doubled after the discovery of 18 bodies on the charred vessel. The bodies were found inside an air-conditioned cabin during a search of the ferry.

Authorities said at least 23 passengers were injured and brought to hospitals.

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Governor Hataman said there could be more people missing because the number of passengers on the vessel exceeded the 205 listed in the ship’s manifest. It was not clear how the fire started.

Nixon Alonzo, chief of the Basilan disaster agency, said some passengers jumped into the sea when the fire broke out.

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The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, is plagued by poor sea transport, with its badly regulated ferries prone to overcrowding and accidents.

Sun News/MR

passengers killed ferry Philippines engulfed Sulu province

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