Amman, September 12 (Petra) – The death toll from a fire that broke out aboard a ferry in the Philippines has risen to 76, with 13 people still missing, according to Philippine authorities.

Authorities said Saturday that rescue teams had recovered the remains of 41 additional charred bodies from the wreckage of the ferry, which was carrying more than 130 people.

Forensic teams have begun the process of identifying the victims.

On Friday, authorities transported 30 bodies to the port of Coron, where temporary tents were set up to examine the remains and identify the deceased.

According to the Philippine Maritime Industry Authority, citing survivors' accounts, two explosions were heard inside the vessel shortly before the fire broke out. One survivor said a small fire spread rapidly throughout the ferry.

The incident is the latest in a series of deadly maritime disasters in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands where millions of people rely on ferries and small boats to travel between regions and islands.

//Petra// AK