Terrified passengers leap into the sea to escape deadly ferry blaze

Sydney Morning Herald

3 days ago

Manado, Indonesia: Terrified passengers jumped into the sea from an Indonesian passenger ferry as flames leapt high and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.
Search crews said three people died and more than 560 were rescued.
Authorities initially said five people were killed, but early on Monday the National Search and Rescue Agency revised it to three, after two passengers who'd initially been reported as dead were found safe in a hospital – including a two-month-old baby whose lungs had been filled with seawater.
Photos and videos circulated on social media showed passengers – mostly wearing life jackets – jumping into the sea and being rescued.
The KM Barcelona 5 caught fire on Sunday afternoon AEST while heading to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
It was on its regular half-day journey from Melonguane port in Talaud Islands district in the same province, according to First Admiral Franky Pasuna Sihombing, chief of the Manado navy base.
A coast guard ship, six rescue vessels and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation, Sihombing said.
The crews pulled many people from the sea and took them to nearby islands. Local fishermen also saved some survivors wearing life jackets and drifting in the choppy waters.