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Cranberry Journal

Sunday, September 13th, 2026

Also in this edition

Maritime Safety

Tagged stories

Two vehicles on the open deck of a small ferry crossing a bay, in black and white.
The Numbers

Seventy-Six Dead, and the Count Finally Closes at 132

The Philippine Coast Guard recovered 41 more bodies from the MV June Aster on Saturday, raising the toll to 76 with 43 survivors and 13 missing. Those figures add up to 132, which is exactly the number who boarded. The ship was certified for 330. Overloading is no longer the question; the two explosions and the missing captain are.

By Cory Chamberlain  

A dark sea under a starlit sky, the last light of dusk along the horizon.
The Numbers

Thirty-Five Dead Off Coron. The Manifest Said 134.

The MV June Aster was four nautical miles from Coron when survivors say an explosion came from the cargo hold. Thirty-five are confirmed dead, 43 survived and 53 are missing. That is 131 people against a manifest of 134, and in Philippine ferry disasters the manifest has not always been the number aboard.

By Cory Chamberlain