Latest news with #maritimeaccident
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Three dead after passenger ship catches fire in Indonesian waters
July 20 (UPI) -- At least three people are dead after a passenger ship carrying nearly 300 people caught fire in Indonesian waters on Sunday, authorities said. The KM Barcelona ferry caught fire Sunday morning off Gangga, a small island off the coast of North Sulawesi province, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement. The ship was carrying 280 passengers, according to the agency, which said the number of evacuees was still being recorded. "Search and medical efforts are ongoing for the remaining victims," it said. "We have deployed several maritime SAR units and rescue teams to swiftly respond to this incident," an Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency official said. "A central command post for search-and-rescue operations has been established at Manado Port." Footage of the incident published on social media by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency shows the boat engulfed in flames, spewing smoke into the air, as dozens of people wearing life preservers float in the ocean, waiting to be rescued. Officials said favorable weather was aiding evacuation operations, but they remained on high alert due to the threat posed by the potential risk of an explosion from residual fuel. The cause of the fire was unknown. The incident comes just weeks after at least five people were killed when a passenger ferry sank in bad weather off the coast of Indonesia's Bali earlier this month. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Indonesian ferry fire kills 3 people as more than 500 rescued from sea
Indonesian rescuers evacuating people from a passenger ferry that caught fire at sea said Monday more than 560 were rescued and three died. The KM Barcelona 5 caught fire around midday on Sunday while heading to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, on its regular half-day journey from Melonguane port in Talaud Islands district in the same province, according to Franky Pasuna Sihombing, chief of the Manado navy base. A coast guard ship, six rescue vessels and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation, Mr Sihombing said. 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 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 early Monday 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, Mr 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. It is common for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest in Indonesia. This discrepancy can contribute to accidents and can complicate search and rescue efforts, Mr Sihombing said. The capacity of the ferry is 600 people. 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. A speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm on 14 July, and all its occupants were found rescued by the next day. Earlier in the month, a ferry sank near Indonesia's resort island of 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.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Indonesia ferry fire kills three, more than 500 rescued
Three people died and more than 500 others were rescued after a ferry caught fire off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, emergency officials said Monday. Passengers jumped overboard with lifejackets after the fire broke out on Sunday at the stern of the KM Barcelona 5, as it sailed to Manado, according to the Indonesian 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. Indonesian authorities previously reported five people died in the accident, but later revised the death toll to three. "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 on Monday. "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 Monday. 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 due to lax safety standards or bad weather. Sunday's fire came just weeks after another ferry sank off the popular resort island of Bali due to 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. dsa/ebe/dhw
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing 3
By Updated on Save MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers evacuating people from a passenger ferry that caught fire at sea said Monday more than 560 were rescued and three died. The KM Barcelona 5 caught fire around midday Sunday while heading to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, on its regular half-day journey from Melonguane port in Talaud Islands district in the same province, according to First Adm. Franky Pasuna Sihombing, chief of the Manado navy base.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Indonesian ferry fire results in five deaths, over 200 rescued near Sulawesi (VIDEO)
JAKARTA, July 21 — An Indonesian ferry fire killed at least five people on Sunday, the country's coast guard said, while more than 200 others were saved with many jumping overboard to flee the huge blaze. The KM Barcelona 5 ferry was engulfed in flames off the coast of Sulawesi island, Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency said, 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,' the agency, also known as Bakamla, said in a statement. The fire broke out at the ferry's stern as it was on its way to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, with some passengers jumping overboard with life jackets, the statement said. Fishermen also helped evacuate the victims to nearby islands, the statement added. Those injured were taken to the nearest health facility, Bakamla added. 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 AFP. A video released by the Manado agency showed a Bakamla vessel spraying water on the ferry, which was still emitting thin black smoke. 'What is important is that we are prioritising rescue before nightfall,' George told AFP, without confirming the total number of people who were on board the ferry. 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. — AFP
