The captain of M/V Aster made a public appearance on Monday, Sept. 14, days after the fire that engulfed M/V Aster and killed at least 70 people, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the PCG said Captain Roel Sarmiento showed up before the Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. office in Palawan.
Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. is the vessel's operator.
Sarmiento's appearance was subsequently reported to the Emergency Operations Center, the PCG said.
According to PCG Spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, investigators are scheduled to gather relevant information related to the incident from Sarmiento, including the circumstances before the deadly fire, his whereabouts after the tragedy, and what transpired before his appearance.
So far, authorities have reported 76 fatalities from the incident while 12 remain missing.
Forty-four survivors were reported.
According to the PCG, 132 had boarded the vessel, which caught fire on September 9 while en route to Coron from Baseco, Manila.
