Ferry June Aster captain surfaces, faces PCG

MANILA, Philippines — Five days after a fire struck the passenger and cargo ship MV June Aster, its captain, Roel Sarmiento, showed up at the Philippine Coast Guard’s Palawan field office yesterday to shed light on the incident that claimed 76 lives.

In a statement, PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said Sarmiento voluntarily appeared and was accompanied by Dindo Macalinao, human resources generalist of Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc., which owns the June Aster.

Cayabyab said investigators are scheduled to interview the ship captain regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident, including his whereabouts following the fire and what transpired before his appearance on Sept. 14.

Based on the latest figures, joint authorities have accounted for 44 survivors, including Sarmiento, with 76 bodies recovered and 12 persons still remain missing.

The ticket manifest listed 134 passengers, including two who later reported that they did not board the vessel, bringing the total number of passengers to 132.

On Sept. 9, the June Aster was sailing to Coron from the Port of Manila when, at 6:45 p.m., an explosion was heard in the cargo hold, followed by thick smoke and fire.

The vessel remains grounded at 7.6 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Turda, Coron, Palawan.

Many of the 76 fatalities were found in the accommodation and cabin areas of the 53-meter-long steel-hulled ship.

Authorities in Coron have temporarily buried 41 unidentified bodies out of the 76 fatalities while waiting for results of DNA testing being done by the Philippine National Police (PNP), an ABS-CBN report said.

The mass grave would be at the San Nicolas Public Cemetery.

Police Lt. Col. Richard Allan Mangalip, commander of the Disaster Victim Identification Unit of the MIMAROPA Regional Forensic Unit, on Sunday said it might take them weeks or even months to complete the identification of the bodies.

The PNP has sent additional forensic experts to Palawan to assist in the identification of the bodies.

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