Authorities in the Philippines said on Sunday it could take weeks or months to identify the victims of a ferry fire that killed 76 people, as forensic experts begin collecting and comparing DNA samples from charred remains and investigators determine what caused one of the country's deadliest maritime disasters in recent years.
Some remains were found clustered together in parts of the vessel, said forensic specialist Richard Allan Mangalip from the Philippine National Police, while others were scattered across different areas of the ship, which was carrying more than 130 people and was nearing its destination when it caught fire.
The ferry was heading southwest from Manila to Coron, in Palawan province, a trip that generally takes about 20 hours.
"Most of them are already in a charred condition," Mangalip said at a press conference, adding that authorities could not provide a firm timeline for identification because of the volume of specimens that must be examined. "It could be weeks, or it could be much longer."
That assessment came a day after rescuers recovered 41 additional remains from the ferry, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for.
(Reporting by Adrian Portugal and Eloisa Lopez; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
