Passenger boat fire kills at least seven in the Philippines

At least seven people were killed when a passenger boat caught fire off the coast of the Philippines today.

The MV MERCRAFT 2 ferry carrying 134 people had departed for Real town in Quezon province from Polillo Island at 5:00 am local time on May 23 when a fire erupted from the ship's engine room, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. The boat captain ordered everyone onboard to abandon ship past 6:00 am as the flames spread to the ship's upper deck.