The death toll from a ferry fire in the Philippines rose sharply to 76 on Saturday after rescuers recovered 41 additional bodies from the burned-out vessel, as forensic teams began the difficult process of identifying the victims.

The Philippine Coast Guard said 13 people remained unaccounted for, while 43 people had survived the disaster aboard the MV June Aster, which caught fire while sailing from Manila toward Coron in Palawan province.

The vessel had been carrying more than 130 people when the fire broke out on Wednesday evening, according to the passenger manifest. The ship was about 39 kilometers from Coron when the blaze erupted.

The latest recovery operation followed the discovery of 30 bodies a day earlier. The additional 41 bodies brought the confirmed death toll to 76, although authorities warned that the number could change as search and identification operations continue.

The remains are being transported to Coron, where forensic specialists are working to establish the identities of the victims. Temporary burial arrangements have been prepared while DNA testing is carried out.

Authorities are also asking relatives to identify personal belongings recovered from the vessel before providing DNA samples to assist with formal identification.

Survivors described a rapidly escalating blaze that gave passengers little time to react.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the fire appeared to have started in the cargo hold and spread through the vessel extremely quickly. Survivors reported hearing explosions followed almost immediately by smoke and flames.

Some survivors reportedly escaped without having time to put on life jackets, highlighting the speed at which the fire engulfed the ship.

Firefighters initially struggled to access parts of the vessel because of intense heat and thick smoke. Once conditions improved, rescuers were able to enter the heavily damaged accommodation areas, where many of the remains were found.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Philippine authorities have launched maritime safety and criminal investigations into the circumstances surrounding the disaster, including whether proper emergency procedures were followed.

The Philippine Coast Guard has also said the company operating the vessel could potentially face liability, depending on the findings of the investigation and whether negligence or improper actions by the crew are established.

The fate of the vessel's captain remains unclear, with authorities continuing to establish whether he was among the survivors or missing.

The disaster has left families across the Philippines waiting for confirmation about relatives who were aboard the ferry.

Relatives have travelled to Coron to search for missing family members, while authorities have established procedures for identifying remains and returning them to families once DNA testing is completed.

The tragedy has also renewed concerns over maritime safety in the Philippines, an archipelago of thousands of islands where ferries are a crucial form of transportation. The country has a long history of deadly maritime disasters, including the 1987 MV Doña Paz sinking, one of the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disasters.

The latest ferry fire is likely to intensify scrutiny of vessel safety, emergency procedures and regulatory enforcement as investigators work to determine what caused the MV June Aster to catch fire and why the blaze spread so rapidly. (ILKHA)