VIDEO: Philippine Ferry Catches Fire in Southern Waters, At Least 31 Dead

• A Philippine ferry burst into flames that raged overnight for roughly eight hours, killing at least 31 of the people onboard
• Gov. Jim Hataman of Basilan said that rescuers were still trying to locate at least seven missing people
• Officials noted that the ferry, MV Lady Mary Joy 3, was towed to Basilan's shoreline, leading to the discovery of the bodies of 18 victims

A Philippine ferry burst into flames and continued to burn overnight for roughly eight hours, killing at least 31 of the estimated 250 passengers and crew, said officials on Thursday.

Most of the people onboard the ship who survived the fire jumped off the ferry, MV Lady Mary Joy 3, and were later rescued in the dark of night by the coast guard, navy, a nearby ferry, and local fishermen. Gov. Jim Hataman announced the southern island province of Basilan.

A Philippine Ferry Caught Fire in Basilan Waters

The official added that on Thursday, rescue teams were still conducting efforts to search for at least seven missing people. Hataman added that the ferry that went up in flames was later towed to Basilan's shoreline, where authorities discovered the bodies of 18 of the 31 victims inside a budget section of the passenger cabin, as per the Associated Press.

In a telephone conversation, Hataman said the victims perished on board the ferry due to the flames. He added that more people may have boarded the ship despite not being listed on the manifest.

However, the ferry's skipper told coast guard officials that he attempted to run the burning ferry around the nearest shore to try and get more people to survive or be rescued. Regional coast guard commander Rejard Marfe said that the flames on the ship burned for about eight hours.

The ferry was known to be heading toward Jolo town, located in Sulu province. It departed from the southern port city of Zamboanga before catching fire off Basilan at nearly midnight, said Hataman. At least 23 passengers onboard the ferry was found to be injured and had to be taken to hospitals.

Determining the Origin of the Flames

The victims include a six-month-old baby, and this comes as investigators have not yet identified the cause of the blaze. The fire started at around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday and caught passengers sleeping by surprise while they were inside their air-conditioned cabins found on the lower deck of the ferry, according to Reuters.

One passenger onboard the ferry, 46-year-old Mina Nani, said that she felt like she was dreaming but suddenly saw that it was dark and smoke. She argues that she could only save her own life by jumping off the burning vessel and hanging onto a floatation device along with another passenger before they got rescued.

A municipal mayor in Basilan province, Arsina Kahing Nanoh, said roughly 35 passengers jumped off the ferry following an explosion. She noted that Basilan residents went to shore in an attempt to rescue the people who jumped into the water after seeing the incident from afar, said CNN.