At least 28 people have been killed and 230 rescued after a passenger ferry caught fire in the Philippines.
The blaze began in the ship’s air-conditioned cabins on Wednesday night but it is unclear how, officials said.
Among the dead were at least three children, including a six-month-old baby.
Earlier, officials said the number of people missing was uncertain because an exact passenger count was not known. Just 205 were listed on a manifest.
The initial death toll amounted to less than a dozen people – these were thought to have drowned as they jumped into the water without life jackets.
He added that “chaos” resulted when the fire broke out, as most of the passengers were sleeping at the time.
The captain eventually ran the vessel aground so that it would be easier for those onboard to swim to shore.
Authorities said earlier that 14 people were injured and another seven missing.
