The death toll from the MV June Aster fire in waters off Coron, Palawan has risen to 77 after one of the rescued crew members died at a hospital on Tuesday.
In a RH Tina Nolasco's report on DZRH, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the crew member was declared dead at the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital at around 11:34 a.m. on September 15, 2026.
With the latest fatality, the official number of survivors has dropped to 43, while 12 people remain missing.
Based on the latest ticketed passenger manifest, a total of 132 people were aboard the vessel when the incident occurred.
The PCG and other authorities continue to conduct recovery operations and investigate the incident.
The passenger vessel caught fire in waters off Coron, Palawan, on September 9.
