The plan is to resume firefighting efforts, first from the cargo hold of the ferry, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, Cayabyab said.
Earlier, the coastguard said preliminary interviews with the survivors suggest that was where the fire started. Some passengers were not wearing life vests, they noted.
A survivor who was hauled to safety on a rescue boat had described the frantic cries on board the passenger-cargo vessel when the fire erupted on Wednesday evening.
Roland Lerma recalled falling while scrambling to get off the burning boat.
“When I was on the floor, people were trampling me,” the 30-year-old told the BBC.
He started crawling until he could find his footing again, before leaping off the vessel into the sea. Lerma said he saw children who had also jumped in the water, though he could not make out their faces in the dark.
“It was cold [in the sea] If the rescue had been delayed, I would definitely have died,” he said.
The ferry, which set off from Manila, was nearing its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, in the province of Palawan, when it caught fire.
The Philippines’ maritime authority is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The ferry, built in 2002, held valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March, but investigators are looking into potential manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response protocols, the Palawan Daily reported.
Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel’s operator, has pledged full cooperation with the inquiry.
“Our hearts remain with the affected families, and we will not rest until all individuals are accounted for,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
