3 kids—including 6-month-old baby—among dead, 230 others rescued

By Charles Dantes

AT LEAST 31 people died and 230 were rescued after a fire engulfed a ferry off Basilan province, authorities said Thursday.

The Lady Mary Joy 3 was traveling from Zamboanga City to Jolo Island in Sulu province when the fire broke out late Wednesday, prompting passengers to jump overboard, disaster officer Nixon Alonzo said.

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.

It is also the second serious maritime disaster within a month, following the sinking of the motor tanker Princess Empress off the coast of Oriental Mindoro which is causing an economic and environmental crisis in the provinces along the important Verde Island Passage (see related story below – Editors). Rescuers, including the Philippine Coast Guard via FB