A passenger ferry caught hearth in a single day within the southern Philippines, killing no less than 10 individuals and leaving no less than seven others lacking, officers mentioned on Thursday.

The ship was at sea close to the southern island province of Basilan when the hearth broke out on Wednesday night, the Philippine Coast Guard mentioned. The reason for the hearth was not instantly clear, and the coast guard mentioned an investigation was underway.

Emergency staff had rescued 233 individuals from the ship as of Thursday morning, together with 35 crew members, the native coast guard mentioned. The provincial authorities mentioned that seven others remained lacking.

It was not clear how many individuals the ship, Girl Mary Pleasure 3, had been carrying when it caught hearth. Basilan’s catastrophe administration company on Thursday put the determine at 230, barely decrease than the variety of people who coast officers mentioned had been rescued.

Such discrepancies usually are not uncommon within the Philippines, an archipelago of greater than 7,100 islands the place vessels typically carry extra individuals than they checklist on their official passenger manifests.

Journey by sea is the most affordable mode of transportation within the Philippines, and maritime accidents occur considerably commonly. Final yr, seven individuals died after a passenger ferry carrying 124 passengers caught hearth quickly after setting off from Polillo Island, east of the Philippine capital, Manila. Greater than 100 different individuals have been rescued.