Divers Pulled 41 More Bodies From the Burned Philippine Ferry on Saturday. The Death Toll Is Now 76, and 13 People Are Still Missing.

CORON, Philippines — The death toll from the fire aboard the ferry MV June Aster rose to 76 on Saturday evening after Philippine Coast Guard teams recovered 41 more bodies from the gutted vessel off Coron island in Palawan province. Thirteen people remain unaccounted for. The Coast Guard said 43 survivors have been confirmed, and that number has not changed in two days.

The ferry was sailing from Manila to Coron with 134 people on the ticket manifest, 117 passengers and 17 crew, when fire broke out at about 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday. It burned for more than a day. Firefighters were only able to board on Friday, after the blaze was finally put out, and found the first 30 bodies in the economy accommodation section. Saturday's recovery more than doubled the count. The Coast Guard said two people listed on the manifest reported that they never boarded, so the true number aboard was 132.

"Based on the ticket manifest of 134 individuals, 13 remain unaccounted for while two reported that they did not board the vessel," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, the agency's spokesperson, said the 41 remains recovered Saturday would be carried to shore aboard the patrol vessel BRP Cape Engaño on Sunday. The Philippine Navy has deployed BRP Valentin Diaz and naval special warfare personnel to help with the search. Divers also recovered the remains of a dog that had been aboard.

The cause is under investigation. A statement from the Maritime Industry Authority, citing survivor accounts, said two explosions were heard inside the vessel shortly before the fire started. One survivor described seeing "a small amount of smoke that turned into a fire and quickly spread through the ferry within seconds." The status of the captain was unclear on Saturday; authorities said they had heard he was alive, but his name did not appear on the list of survivors.

Forensic teams have set up temporary tents in Coron town to process and identify the remains, work that officials described as painstaking given the condition of the bodies. Families have gathered at the port. Anelyn Magbanua, 37, whose husband was aboard, said she was still holding out. "I hope he is not among the dead being brought off the ship," she said. "I hope he is alive and has only drifted to another island."

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, and millions of people depend on ferries that are often old, crowded and loosely regulated. The June Aster fire is the deadliest maritime disaster in the country in years, and the toll could still climb as the remaining 13 are found.