Indonesian rescuers evacuated over 560 people from a burning ferry, with three confirmed dead. Survivors were pulled from the sea and nearby islands.
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Indonesian rescuers said on Monday that they had evacuated more than 560 people from a passenger ferry that caught fire at sea. Three people were confirmed dead.
The KM Barcelona 5 caught fire around midday Sunday while heading to Manado on its regular half-day journey from Melonguane port, according to Manado navy base chief First Admiral Franky Pasuna Sihombing.
A coast guard vessel, six rescue ships and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation, Sihombing said. Many survivors were pulled from the sea and taken to nearby islands. Local fishermen also rescued passengers found drifting in life jackets.
Images posted to social media showed passengers jumping into the sea as black smoke and flames engulfed the ferry.
The search and rescue operation continued, although there were no immediate reports of people still missing.
Authorities had previously said that five people had died, but the National Search and Rescue Agency revised this figure on Monday.
Two passengers who were initially reported as dead were saved in hospital, including a 2-month-old baby.
Officials said the fire that began in the ferry’s stern was extinguished within an hour.
While the ferry’s manifest originally registered only 280 passengers and 15 crew members, the national rescue agency confirmed 568 survivors. It is common for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry in Indonesia to differ from the manifest.
The ferry has a capacity of 600 people.