A ferry carrying about 250 passengers and crew has caught fire in the southern Philippines and 31 people drowned or died in the blaze, a provincial governor said.
Many of those rescued had jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 in panic at the height of the fire and were plucked from the sea by the coastguard, navy, another ferry and local fishermen, said governor Jim Hataman of the southern island province of Basilan.
The search and rescue effort was continuing on Thursday for at least seven missing passengers.
