MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire broke out on a passenger ferry in waters off the western Philippines, leaving dozens of people missing, the coast guard said Thursday. At least five people were killed.
So far, 42 people have been rescued and efforts were ongoing, so the count of 87 people missing may change, coast guard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said in a radio interview.
The ferry MV June Aster had sailed from Manila and was near Coron in Palawan province when the fire started Wednesday.
Images from the scene showed the ferry was still on fire. Coast guard personnel tossed life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background. Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.
Bad weather and big waves were challenging rescuers, and sea currents had dragged the ferry several nautical miles from its initial location, Cayabyab said.
She said 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. “Based on the data that we have right now, the rescued and casualty, we are still searching for 87 people,” she told DZXL radio.
Cayabyab said it was still unclear what caused the fire, and the coast guard is coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities to get more details.
Ferries are a common transportation method in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
In this image provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, survivors are assisted as they alight from a small boat after being rescued from a burning ferry off Palawan province, Philippines on Wednesday Sept. 9, 2026. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
In this image provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a survivor is assisted as he alights from a small boat after being rescued from a burning ferry off Palawan province, Philippines on Wednesday Sept. 9, 2026. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
In this image provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a survivor is assisted as he alights from a small boat after being rescued from a burning ferry off Palawan province, Philippines on Wednesday Sept. 9, 2026. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff knows what she is up against in her U.S. Open semifinal against Elena Rybakina, whose firepower has vaulted her to the top of the tennis rankings.
“I know I’m going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I’m going to keep fighting and give it my all,” Gauff said. “That’s all I can do.”
That's how Gauff earned her first title in Flushing Meadows and why she's still in the running for another.
Gauff fought off a couple match points in a tiebreaker and beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Wednesday to set up matchup against the new No. 1 in women's tennis.
Gauff overcame a horrible start to give herself a chance at a second U.S. Open trophy. She won the tournament in 2023, when she had to shake off a similar rough beginning against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Andreeva, the French Open champion, won the first seven points and took the first set in 26 minutes before the No. 4-seeded Gauff regrouped. She said during the break after the first set she thought about fellow American Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets down in his quarterfinal match a day earlier.
“So, honestly I was just trying to literally leave the court with no regrets,” Gauff said.
Rybakina edged Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 earlier Wednesday, guaranteeing she will become No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the tournament.
The top-ranked Sabalenka faces No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal Thursday. But no matter what happens in the remaining matches, Rybakina will end Sabalenka's 99-week stay at No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday.
“It’s just a number right now and of course I’m in the semis so my goal is to win the tournament,” Rybakina said. “It’s an amazing achievement but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match, so I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover and enjoy tomorrow.”
It's the first time since 1975 that all four of the women's top seeds reached the U.S. Open semifinals.
Gauff won a 39-shot rally to take a 5-3 lead in the tiebreaker, but Andreeva took the next three points to earn her first match point. Gauff erased that when the Russian sent a forehand long, then stopped Andreeva's second chance at 7-6.
Then it was mostly all Gauff in the third set en route to her seventh Grand Slam semifinal.
Rybakina and Zheng were scheduled to start about eight hours after Ben Shelton finished off his victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
Rybakina said she struggled with the sun and shadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium early on after starting later in the day in her previous matches.
Zheng capitalized on Rybakina’s early struggles to get her only break of the match against one of the best servers in women’s tennis and take a 5-3 lead in the first set.
But Zheng, who had been playing from behind so much in Flushing Meadows, couldn’t hold onto the lead and Rybakina rolled through the second set in 38 minutes.
Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, had to come through the qualifying tournament just to make the main draw after elbow surgery dropped her down the rankings to her current place of No. 121. Once ranked No. 4, she is guaranteed to move back into the top 60.
She made a dramatic run to the quarterfinals, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys in the third round and then climbing out of another 5-0 hole in the first set in her fourth-round victory over No. 8-seed Iga Swiatek.
But a double-fault gave her opponent a 5-4 lead in the third set and Rybakina served it out to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time.
“I think the wins that I had so far are great, but obviously today in the match I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take it,” Zheng said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I could take positive things from U.S. Open this year.”
Rybakina came into the tournament needing only to reach the semifinals to ensure she would move past Sabalenka. Had the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan lost before the final four, Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff could have been No. 1 next week by winning the tournament.
Karen Khachanov reached his third Grand Slam semifinal when No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx stopped playing midway through the third set after Khachanov had won the first two. Blockx had his upper left leg wrapped and received treatment on both his lower leg and back as well.
Khachanov, who reached the semis at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the 2023 Australian Open, will play top-seeded Alexander Zverev in one semifinal match Friday. Shelton and Tiafoe will square off in an all-American semifinal match.
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
Alexander Blockx, of Belgium, has his foot checked during a medical timeout during a match against Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Alexander Blockx, of Belgium, has his back worked on during a medical timeout during a match against Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Karen Khachanov, of Russia, celebrates on the court after winning a match against Alexander Blockx, of Belgium, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff, of the United States, reacts during a match against Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, reacts during a match against Coco Gauff, of the United States, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff, of the United States, celebrates winning a match against Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, follows through on a serve to Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Qinwen Zheng, of China, returns the ball to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Qinwen Zheng, of China, returns the ball to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
