The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday, Sept. 16, said four people listed on the ticket manifest of MV June Aster did not board the vessel, after all.
The PCG said based on their verification, of the four, three said they had intended to book tickets for Manila from Coron but ended up getting tickets for the Manila to Coron route being plied by MV June Aster instead.
The fourth individual, the PCG said, already traveled to Coron via another passenger vessel on Sept. 5.
With the latest development, the PCG said the official number of passengers who boarded MV June Aster is now down to 128 from the 132 initially reported.
Seventy-seven have been reported dead while eight are missing.
By the PCG's latest count, 43 are survivors.
"The PCG continues to verify and reconcile passenger information as part of the ongoing accounting of all individuals listed in the MV June Aster ticket manifest," the PCG said.
