Five people died while over 80 were missing after a fire broke out onboard a ferry off the waters of Palawan on Wednesday night, the Philippine Coast Guard reported Thursday.

An initial report from the PCG said the M/V June Aster ferry had 17 crew members and around 117 passengers as it was traveling to Coron, Palawan from Baseco in Manila when fire broke out at 6:45 pm.

The explosion happened at the cargo section, said Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab in a briefing.

''A survivor said the fire spread within seconds,'' she added.

Coast Guard District Palawan and other responding units continue to search the missing passengers within the vicinity waters of Coron, Palawan. ''Strong winds are one of the obstacles in the rescue,'' said Caybayab.

As of Thursday, the PCG reported five people died while 43 were rescued leaving around 86 people missing.

The fire occurred at the vicinity of waters approximately 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Marcilla, Coron, Palawan,. The PCG said it sent its personnel from Maritime Environmental Protection Unit (MEPU) Northeastern Palawan, and Coast Guard Special Operations Group (SOG).

The PCG also coordinated with Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Turda, CGSS Tara, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Coron Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) Coron, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Coron, and shipping lines with vessels berthed at the Port of Coron to facilitate immediate rescue and assistance.

"The casualties will be turned over to Coron Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) for proper disposition," it stated. Robina Asido/PHS