Ferry inferno—280 flee blazing ship off Indonesia
A packed ferry with nearly 300 on board bursts into flames as panicked passengers jump into the sea to escape the blazing inferno
A huge inferno has erupted on a packed ferry as passengers jumped overboard to escape the blazing inferno.
Flames engulfed the KM Barcelona VA vessel, forcing dozens of the 280 on board to throw themselves into the ocean, off the coast of Indonesia.
Shocking footage shows passengers leaping into the water, many of them with bright orange life jackets on.
The blaze broke out around 1:30 pm local time (7:30 BST).
Panic ensued onboard the ferry as flames engulfed the upper decks.
A harrowing Facebook live broadcast from a passenger named Abdul Rahmad Agu showed the chaos.
He can be heard pleading, “We are burning at sea. We need help, fast.”
The ferry was journeying from the Talaud Islands to Manado City when it caught fire off the coast of North Sulawesi.
Other footage shows fire raging towards the top decks as passengers escape.
Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency service teams race to rescue all those onboard.
A Manado KSOP officer said the “KM Barcelona III, KM Venecian, and KM Cantika Lestari 9F” have been dispatched to help evacuate survivors.
