Indonesian authorities say three people died and more than 500 others were rescued after a ferry fire off the island of Sulawesi. Photo / Supplied
Indonesian authorities say three people died and more than 500 others were rescued after a ferry fire off the island of Sulawesi. Photo / Supplied
Three people died and more than 500 others were rescued after a ferry caught fire off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, emergency officials say.
Passengers jumped overboard with lifejackets after the fire broke out at the stern of the KM Barcelona 5 as it sailed to Manado, according to theIndonesian coast guard.
A video released by the Manado rescue agency showed a coast guard vessel spraying water on the ferry, which was emitting black smoke.
#BREAKING Passengers jump overboard as massive fire engulfs ferry in Indonesia
Terrifying scenes from Indonesia after a fire broke out on the KM Barcelona VA passenger ship near Talise Island, North Sulawesi
“Until now, the joint rescue team is still conducting the search and rescue operation because the data is still developing,” Manado rescue agency head George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP.
“Our post is still open 24 hours a day in case families want to report about their missing relative.”
At least 568 people were rescued from the ferry and water, while three others were found dead, the national search and rescue agency said in a statement.
The ferry’s log had only registered 280 passengers and 15 crew on board.
Local media reported that the ship had a capacity for 600 people.
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in the Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, in part because of lax safety standards or bad weather.
Sunday’s fire came just weeks after another ferry sank off the popular resort island of Bali because of bad weather, killing at least 19 people.
In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person.
And in 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra Island.
