Sept. 10 (UPI) — At least five people were dead and dozens remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon following a fire that erupted on a ferry in waters off the western Philippines, authorities said.

The fire was reported to the Philippine Coast Guard at about 6:45 p.m. local Wednesday as the vessel, identified as the MV June Aster, was located about 1.2 nautical miles northeast of Barangay Turda, and the blaze burned overnight.

Videos of the blaze posted on the Philippine Coast Guard Facebook page show the entire vessel engulfed in flames against the black night. On Thursday morning, smoke was still seen wafting from the burnt husk of the vessel.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab confirmed the death toll in a press conference on Thursday, saying 43 people had so far been rescued, but that, based on the passenger manifest, 86 others remained unaccounted for. The number of rescued passengers increased by one overnight.

Search-and-rescue operations were continuing Thursday, she said. The number of foreign nationals involved was unknown, and Coast Guard officials were still checking the manifest.

Investigators could not “penetrate” the vessel before the fire was completely extinguished, she said.

A radio broadcast was issued to ships in the vicinity of the vessel to be “vigilant” and to watch for ferry passengers, she said, adding that officials were also in contact with nearby villages.

“I think the captain is the most appropriate person to ask with what happened and what transpired last night,” she said.

“He has all the responsibilities over the cargos and the passengers aboard the vessel.”

It was not clear if the vessel captain was among those who had been rescued.

Due to the number of dead and missing, there is the possibility of criminal charges, but that will be considered after the investigation is completed, she said.

“As to the degree of liability, we will be determining after the conduct of the investigation,” she said.

“We will be doing a comprehensive investigation.”

The ferry departed Baseco Port in Manila on Tuesday at 8:13 p.m. and was bound for the Port of Coron, Palawan, where it was scheduled to arrive Wednesday at 6 p.m. The ship had a maximum capacity of 333.

The deceased were to be turned over to the Coron Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for “proper disposition,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.