Over 500 People Rescued, Three Died After Indonesian Passenger Ferry Caught Fire At Sea

At least 560 people were rescued, and three others died after a passenger ferry was ablaze at sea in Indonesia, news agency AP reported on Monday.

Statement of Manado Navy Base Chief 

According to First Admiral Franky Pasuna Sihombing, chief of the Manado navy base, the ferry KM Barcelona 5 caught fire around midday Sunday while heading to the capital of North Sulawesi province, Manado, on its regular half-day journey from Melonguane port in the Talaud Islands district in the same province.

Soon after the incident, six rescue vessels and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation, Sihombing added. Along with crews, the local fishermen wearing life jackets also saved many survivours and took them to nearby islands.

Authorities initially said five individuals had died, but later the National Search and Rescue Agency revised it to three on early Monday after two passengers who were reported as dead were saved in a hospital, including a 2-month-old baby whose lungs were filled with seawater.

The ferry’s manifest primarily 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 AP reported.

As per the chief of the Manado navy base, it is common for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest in Indonesia, and such a discrepancy can contribute to accidents and complicate search and rescue efforts. The capacity of the ferry is 600 people.

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