Rescuers struggled on Thursday to get into a passenger ferry that had caught fire and burned overnight off the western Philippines, leaving five people dead and 86 missing, officials declared. By nightfall, search and rescue operations were halted but were to resume in the morning.

So far, 43 people have been rescued, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab stated. The ferry MV June Aster was afloat but listing off the town of Coron after the fire that started on Wednesday evening. Smoke still rose from the charred vessel by midday Thursday.

Cayabyab noted authorities were still trying to confirm reports that two foreigners were onboard, checking the names on the manifest and co-ordinating with local administration officials and the shipping company on the identities of the fatalities, survivors and missing.

In a related development, as stated by to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The vessel had a capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew.

The 53-metre-long ferry had sailed from the capital of Manila and was near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was indicated by the shipping company around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the coast guard noted.

Rescuers have been trying to enter the ship but have encountered difficulty because of thick smoke. "Our objective now is to enter the ship, to check the situation so we can assess the situation," Cayabyab expressed.

Furthermore, later on Thursday evening, search and rescue operations were suspended and will resume in the morning, she added.

Cayabyab stated it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold, and the coast guard was co-ordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to get more details.

The survivor conveyed "a loud explosion, then followed by smoke and fire," Cayabyab added. "As per the testimony of the survivor, everything happened quickly; within seconds the fire spread."

Additionally, a coast guard ship and high-speed response boats were joined in the search and rescue by a military vessel and other authorities boats, volunteers and fishermen.

The coast guard made a radio broadcast to ships nearby to be on the lookout for passengers of the ferry. It has also co-ordinated with coastal villages in case some passengers drifted to the shore.

Images of the Wednesday night rescue efforts showed coast guard personnel tossing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

It is worth noting that bad weather and big waves challenged rescuers. The ferry was around 7.4 kilometres off the village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 14.2 kilometers off Turda.

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In the broader context, coron is a popular tourist destination known for clear blue waters, limestone cliffs and rock formations.

Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

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