Passenger Ship Fire Kills at Least 3 People in Indonesia

New York Times

a day ago

At least three people were killed aboard a passenger ship that was carrying more than 200 people after a fire broke out on the vessel in Indonesian waters on Sunday morning, the authorities and local news outlets said.
The ship, the KM Barcelona 5, was traveling within Indonesia's North Sulawesi province, to Manado, the provincial capital, from the Talaud Islands, when it caught fire near Talise, said Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, according to The Associated Press.
An image taken from a video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency showed a rescue vessel as it approached the passenger ship, which had black smoke billowing from its side.
Video from the agency's social media accounts showed passengers wearing life jackets in the water and being transported from the ship to rescue boats.
About 280 passengers were aboard the vessel, the rescue agency said.
The agency, known as BASARNAS, said that the total number of people rescued, injured and those who were still missing was undetermined.
Search and rescue efforts took place with help from at least two ships and other smaller inflatable vessels, the agency said.
It was not immediately clear what started the fire or what company operates the ship.
Episodes involving ferries are common in Indonesia, an archipelago that comprises more than 17,000 islands where people often travel via passenger ships.
This month, at least five people died and 29 were reported missing after the KMT Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank on its way to the resort island of Bali.