Philippines Ferry Fire: 31 Dead as Boat With 250 People Onboard Bursts into Flames

Many of those rescued had jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in panic at the height of the fire and were plucked from the sea by the coastguard, navy, another ferry and local fishermen, said governor Jim Hataman of the southern island province of Basilan.

Search and rescue efforts were continuing on Thursday for at least seven missing passengers.

The burned ferry was towed to Basilan's shoreline, where coastguard personnel and other authorities discovered 18 of the bodies in a budget section of the passenger cabin, Hataman said, adding that the search of the vessel was continuing.

"These victims perished onboard due to the fire," he said.

He added that an investigation is under way and the discovery suggested there were additional travelers not listed on the vessel's manifest.

The ferry was en route to Jolo town in Sulu province from the southern port city of Zamboanga when it caught fire midway off Basilan close to midnight, he said.

"Some of the passengers were roused from sleep due to the commotion caused by the fire. Some jumped off the ship," Hataman told the Associated Press by telephone.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and patchy enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.