5 dead after ship catches fire off coast of Indonesia, passengers seen jumping into sea

280 passengers evacuated from ship fire in Indonesia

Dramatic scenes ensued after a passenger ship caught fire off the coast of Indonesia, with passengers seen jumping into the sea.

Five people have been confirmed dead so far from the incident on Sunday (20 July) afternoon, reported The Straits Times.

“Five people were reported dead, two of whom have yet to be identified. Meanwhile, 284 people have been evacuated safely,” Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency, also known as Bakamla, said in a statement.

Fire breaks out on ship in waters off Indonesia

The whole thing was documented by Facebook user Abdul Rahman Agu, who posted a series of videos detailing what happened.

His first clip showed a fire on board a ship, which he identified as the KM III Barcelona.

Anxious passengers are seen gathering their belongings and preparing to evacuate.

Passengers jump into the water to escape ship fire in Indonesia

The next video was a livestream taken as the man floated in the water after apparently jumping off the ship.

Several other people, wearing life jackets and including children, can be seen in the water as the ship burns behind them.

Other passengers sat on the ledge as fire and smoke engulfed the ship. Some of them subsequently jumped into the water.

The terrified cries of a child were heard, and the man turned the camera to reveal that he was holding onto a young child.

After they floated farther and farther away from the burning ship, a boat with an FC Barcelona crest passed by.

The man handed the child over to a man in the boat, while he remained in the water.

In the next livestream he posted, the man was sitting safely in a boat travelling towards shore, with the burning ship receding into the distance.

Pregnant woman among the deceased

The ship caught fire near an island off the tip of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara.

The Manado Search and Rescue Office stated that the blaze began between 12pm and 1 pm local time.

One of the deceased was a pregnant woman who had already been brought ashore, the Manado Search and Rescue Office added.

Ship severely burnt

Another video posted on X showed firefighters spraying jets of water to douse the ship, which had been severely burnt by then.

Only the frame of the vessel remained, still smoking.

Rescuers are inspecting the charred ship to make sure that no more passengers are on board, said the navy commander.

Also read: Fire engulfs ‘abandoned ship hotel’ in Thailand, firefighters struggle to extinguish blaze due to strong winds

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Featured image adapted from Abdul Rahman Agu on Facebook.