Five killed, over 200 rescued in Indonesia ferry fire
The fire broke out at the ferry's stern as it was on its way to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
Five people were killed as over 200 others escaped by jumping overboard to flee a huge blaze after an Indonesian ferry went ablaze yesterday.
The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) confirmed that the KM Barcelona 5 ferry was engulfed in flames off the Coast of Sulawesi Island, just weeks after at least 19 people were killed when a ferry sank off the popular resort island of Bali.
“Five people were reported dead, two of whom have yet to be identified. Meanwhile, 284 people have been evacuated safely,” Bakamla said in a statement.
They confirmed that the fire broke out at the ferry’s stern as it was on its way to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
Videos seen on social media indicated some passengers jumping overboard with life jackets.
Fishermen were also seen helping evacuate the victims to nearby islands.
Bakamla has indicated that those injured were taken to the nearest health facility.
The accident happened about one hour away from the resort town of Likupang, in the northern tip of Sulawesi, Manado search and rescue agency head, George Leo Mercy Randang, told the international Press.
“What is important is that we are prioritising rescue before nightfall,” he said yesterday.
Neither he nor Bakamla gave a cause for the fire.
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in the Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, in part due to lax safety standards or bad weather.
The ferry sinking en route to Bali this month was attributed to bad weather.
In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person.
In 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island.
