Indonesian Ferry With 300 Onboard Catches Fire, Passengers Leap Into Sea for Safety
Ferry with 300 passengers catches fire off Indonesia's North Sulawesi coast; 3 dead, 150 rescued, many still missing as evacuation efforts continue.
image for illustrative purpose
A massive fire broke out aboard a passenger ferry carrying nearly 300 people off the coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday afternoon. The KM Barcelona V ferry, en route from the Talaud Islands to Manado Port, caught fire around 1:30 PM local time near Talise Island.
Dramatic videos from the scene showed chaos on deck as terrified passengers, equipped with life jackets, jumped into the sea to escape the flames. Rescue operations were immediately launched, involving local fishing boats and official rescue teams. Authorities confirmed that at least three people have died, while nearly 150 others have been rescued. Several passengers are still feared trapped.
Veri Ariyanto, a senior official at the North Sulawesi Search and Rescue Office, stated, “They were rescued by a combined team of rescuers and local fishing boats.” The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Eyewitnesses described the panic on board. "It happened very quickly. Around 12:00 WITA, someone shouted there was a fire at the rear of the ship, and we immediately panicked," said Alwina Alwina, a passenger and wife of a police official, to Antara news agency.
Authorities continue to search for survivors while investigating the cause of the blaze.
