Cause of the fire is not yet known
Three people died on Sunday in a fire in a ferry off the island of Sulawesi, in the center of Indonesia, and more than 500 passengers were rescued, according to a balance released today.
The fire launched on the boat Km Barcelona 5, off the north coast of the island, while heading to the city of Manado, according to the Indonesian coast guard.
The passengers, with life jackets, jumped to the water and some were rescued by fishermen boats, said the same source.
A balance released on Sunday indicated five dead, but today the authorities rode the number down, for three deadly victims.
The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency had also announced that 284 people were rescued, but today the agency said it is 568.
However, according to the list of people aboard the vessel followed 280 passengers and 15 crew. The local press mentioned that the ship had a capacity of 600 people
The list of people on board indicates the existence of 280 passengers and 15 crew. Local press said the ship had a capacity of 600 people.
“The rescue team continues to perform search and rescue operations as we are still collecting data,” France-Presse news agency George Leo Mercy Randang said today.
“Our post is open 24 hours a day if families want to communicate the disappearance of a family member,” he added.
A video published by the Manado Search and Rescue Agency shows a coastal guard ship to throw water on the ferry, from which a thick black smoke came from.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Maritime accidents are frequent in this Southeast Asian archipelago, which has about 17 thousand islands, due, namely, the poor safety standards and sometimes adverse meteorological conditions.
On July 3rd, a ferry sank off the tourist island of Bali, causing at least 19 deaths.
In March, a boat that carried 16 people became an agitated sea conditions off the same island of Bali. An Australian died and at least someone else was injured.
