Indonesian ferry fire: Death toll lowered to three as baby survives lungs filled with seawater
Indonesian rescue teams say they have saved more than 560 people and confirmed three fatalities after a passenger ferry caught fire at sea.
The vessel, KM Barcelona 5, was en route from Melonguane to North Sulawesi’s capital, Manado, when the blaze broke out, according to First Admiral Franky Pasuna Sihombing, who leads the Manado navy base.
The operation involved the coast guard, six rescue ships, and numerous inflatable boats, Sihombing said.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The crews pulled many people from the sea and took them to nearby islands, and local fishermen also saved some survivors wearing life jackets as they were drifting in the choppy waters.
Photos and videos circulated on social media showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.
The search and rescue operation was continuing, though there were no immediate reports of people still missing.
Authorities previously said five people had died, but the National Search and Rescue Agency revised it to three after two passengers initially reported as dead were saved in a hospital, including a two-month-old baby whose lungs were filled with seawater.
The fire that began in the ferry’s stern was extinguished within an hour, Sihombing said.
The ferry’s manifest initially registered only 280 passengers and 15 crew members but the national rescue agency confirmed 568 survivors had been rescued and three bodies recovered, including a pregnant woman.
The capacity of the ferry is 600 people.
Ferry disasters occur regularly in Indonesia, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.
A speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm on July 14, and all its occupants were found rescued by the next day.
Earlier in July, a ferry sank near Bali, leaving at least 19 dead and 16 others missing. A two-week search operation involved more than 600 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel.
Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.
- with AP
