AFP watched as the bodies arrived by sea to begin the painstaking process of identification by forensic specialists, days after a fire tore through the M/V June Aster "in seconds", according to the coast guard.The confirmed death toll is 35 people, counting 30 bodies included in the initial transfer from the wrecked ferry and five others recovered earlier, but officials have said more bodies remain aboard the vessel.A local official told AFP that teams in Coron, Palawan had dug 70 graves on the instruction of disaster officials.The one-metre (three-feet) deep graves are intended to hold the victims' remains until DNA testing is completed, Kristine Ablana, a tourism official serving as an official spokesperson, told reporters on Saturday.
Authorities have not said exactly how many bodies remain aboard the M/V June Aster, which sits grounded off the coast © Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP
Relatives will first be brought into a room to identify personal items that may have belonged to family members."Once someone is able to verify... that this photo or these belongings are indeed those of their relative, they will be asked to provide a DNA sample," Ablana said.Authorities have not said exactly how many bodies remain aboard the stricken vessel, which sits grounded about 7.5 kilometres (4.5 miles) off the coast."The team has already went inside again to check... they have found (additional bodies). But we are still looking at them one by one," coast guard Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla told reporters."As of now, our objective is the respectful recovery of the remains."
