The remains will be turned over to police forensic investigators for "proper disposition and identification" before local authorities are allowed to inform family members, says a coast guard spokesperson.

The fire that gutted a passenger ferry in the Philippines, has killed at least 35 people and after spreading very fast.

The death toll from the ferry fire off Coron, Palawan has risen to 35, with 43 survivors and 53 people still missing, the Philippine Coast Guard said Saturday.

Thirty charred bodies found inside a burned passenger ferry in the western Philippines have arrived at a port for identification after a ship fire that killed at least 35 people.

Thirty charred bodies from the MV June Aster were brought to Coron as search teams continued recovering victims from the burned ferry. The tragedy has triggered criminal and safety probes into the crew's actions and the cause of the fire.

The fire that tore through the ferry on Wednesday evening killed at least 35 people and left 54 missing.