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The Philippine Coast Guard says seven people have been killed in a fire that broke out on a boat carrying more than 130 passengers in the Philippines on Monday.
At the time of the fire, the Coast Guard said the boat was less than a kilometer from the city of Real in the province of Quizon, about 67 kilometers west of Manila.
The boat was carrying 124 passengers and 10 crew.
Coast Guard rescued 123 people, 3 of whom are in critical condition and 4 are still missing.
The Coast Guard said the fire spread from the boat’s engine room.
Pictures of eyewitnesses showed the boat surrounded by fire and black smoke, with some passengers swimming near the boat.
Sea travel is one of the main modes of transportation in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. Accidents are common due to poor safety and safety standards.
The Philippines was hit by the worst peacetime maritime disaster in the world, with more than 4,000 people killed in a collision with a boat oil tanker in 1987.
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