Manado, Indonesia
AP
–
Hundreds of people started a fire in the sea on Sunday off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the passenger ferry killed at least five people, officials said. More than 280 people were rescued and evacuation efforts were underway.
KM Barcelona 5 headed from Taro, the island district of the province to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, when it launched a fire in the waters near Talyze.
He said three naval vessels had been deployed and 284 passengers and crew had previously evacuated. The rescue efforts included assistance from local fishermen. Local fishermen have saved survivors wearing life jackets as they drift on an island near the choppy sea.
The rescuers recovered five bodies, including the pregnant woman.
There were no immediate reports of injuries and no exact figures for passengers and crew members aboard the ferry.
“We are still focusing on evacuation efforts,” Hendrata said, adding that the cause of the fire is being investigated.
Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed terrifying passengers jumping into the sea, mostly wearing life jackets. Orange flames and black smoke swirling from the burning container.
Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands where ferries are common ways to travel. Disasters occur regularly, and weak safety enforcement is often condemned.
Residents of the Mentawai Islands discovered that a speedboat carrying 18 people who had capsized during the storm the previous day was stuck on July 14, authorities said. Everything was in good condition.
A ferry sank near Bali, Indonesia’s resort island earlier this month, killing at least 19 people and 16 people missing. The two-week search operation included more than 1,000 rescuers, three naval ships, 15 boats, helicopters and divers.
