Indonesia Ferry Fire Kills 15
A fire broke out on an Indonesian ferry carrying 300 passengers Thursday, killing at least 15 and sending panicked men, women and children jumping into the Java Sea, officials said.
Rescuers plucked many survivors from the water and the ship's charred hull. But more than a dozen remained unaccounted for following the country's second major maritime disaster in as many months.
The fire started in a truck on the Levina 1's car deck, hours after the 2,000-ton vessel left the capital, Jakarta, for the northwestern island of Bangka, what should have been a daylong trip, said port official Sato Bisri.
Aerial footage showed a raging fire and heavy black smoke pouring from the 27-year-old ferry. The cause was not immediately known.
"The fire started on the lowest level and got bigger and bigger," said Ebun, 30, who managed to get hold of a life jacket. "Many people, including me, jumped into the water. Someone came and pulled me onto another ship."
Two warships, three helicopters, a tug boat and nine cargo ships were taking part in the rescue operations.
Survivors arrived at the Jakarta port Thursday afternoon, where emergency vehicles were waiting. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals or treated in a makeshift medical hall at the port.
Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa told el-Shinta 15 bodies were recovered and at least 275 people were rescued. Another 17 were missing, he said.
Rajasa said the ferry was carrying 300 passengers, but the ship's log indicated 228 passengers, 42 trucks and eight cars were on board. Tallies are often incomplete and boats overloaded.
"It was terrifying," said Yas Rijal, 33, who was with his wife and son on the upper deck when the fire broke out. "Suddenly flames bust from the lower deck. The crew ordered us to put on yellow life vests and we jumped."
In the vast nation of 17,000 islands, ferries are the cheapest and most popular form of public transportation. But safety standards are poor, leading to hundreds of deaths each year.
Indonesia has been hit by a string of transportation disasters in recent months. In late December, a passenger ferry sank in a storm in the Java Sea, killing more than 400 people. Days later, a Boeing 737-400 passenger plane crashed into the ocean, killing all 102 people on board. Thursday's accident occurred 50 miles north of Jakarta's port.