At least one person was killed after a fire engulfed a Philippine ferry on Sunday, forcing scores of people on board to jump into the sea.

Rescuers plucked 163 passengers and crew from the waters off the central island of Bohol, the Philippine Coast Guard said, as they searched for one missing passenger.

The "Mama Mary Chloe" vessel, which had a 236-person capacity, was carrying 157 passengers, including 15 children, along with eight crew from Ubay in Bohol to Bato on the nearby island of Leyte.

The body of a passenger had been recovered and a coast guard ship had been deployed to help with the search, authorities added.

"The rescue of the crew and passengers was swift because of the help from motorbancas (boats) sailing in the waters when the incident happened," the coast guard said.

Almost 100 people were brought to land at a port in Leyte, where emergency personnel checked on the rescued passengers, coast guard videos showed. (AFP)