Video: Hundreds Jump Into Sea As Ferry Catches Fire In Indonesia, At Least 3 Dead

A ferry carrying hundreds of passengers caught fire off Indonesia’s North Sulawesi coast on Sunday, killing at least three people and forcing terrified passengers to jump into the sea. Officials said more than 560 people were rescued in a large-scale emergency operation.

The vessel, named KM Barcelona 5, was travelling from Melonguane Port in the Talaud Islands district to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, when the fire broke out around midday.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the ship as passengers, many wearing life jackets, jumped overboard in panic.

Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, said a joint rescue operation was launched immediately after the incident. A coast guard ship, six rescue vessels, and several inflatable boats were sent to the scene. Local fishermen also rushed in to help save people from the burning ferry.

According to Franky Pasuna Sihombing, the head of the Manado Navy Base, crews rescued many people from the sea and took them to nearby islands. He added that the fire began in the ferry’s stern and was brought under control within an hour.

 

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The ferry’s manifest had listed only 280 passengers and 15 crew, but the rescue agency later confirmed that 568 people had been rescued, showing a large gap between actual passengers and the official count. Such discrepancies are common in Indonesia and can make rescue efforts more difficult.

Initially, local officials reported that five people had died. However, the death toll was revised to three on Monday after two passengers, who were earlier believed to be dead, survived after receiving hospital treatment. One of them was a two-month-old baby whose lungs had filled with seawater. A pregnant woman was among the three confirmed dead.

A survivor, Johan Rumewo, shared his experience with local media and said he woke up to find the air filled with smoke. “Everyone started panicking. I managed to grab a life jacket and jumped into the sea. I floated for about an hour before being rescued,” he said.

As of Monday, search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. George Leo Mercy Randang, head of the Manado rescue agency, said that their post would remain open 24 hours a day in case families wanted to report missing relatives.

Video Credits: Associated Press/YouTube

The cause of the fire is still unknown, and authorities have not given any official explanation yet.

Indonesia, an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on passenger ferries for transportation. But ferry accidents happen regularly, often due to overcrowding, poor enforcement of safety rules, and rough sea conditions.

Just days before this incident, on July 14, a speedboat with 18 people on board capsized during a storm, but all passengers were rescued by the next day. Earlier this month, a ferry near Bali sank during bad weather, killing at least 19 people and leaving 16 missing.

In another deadly incident in 2018, over 150 people lost their lives when a ferry sank in Lake Toba, one of the world’s deepest lakes, located in Sumatra.

References: NYTimes, Al Jazeera

Source: Maritime Shipping News