Manado, Indonesia (AP) – Indonesian rescuers who evacuated people from the phrase passengers on fire on Monday said that more than 560 was rescued and died three.
KM Barcelona 5 was buried in the middle of Sunday while heading to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi Province, on its half -day journey from the port of Milonguan in the Talwood Islands area in the same province, according to Admirali Bassuna Sihombing, head of the Manado Naval Base.
Sihombing said that the Coast Guard ship, six rescue ships and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue process. The crew pulled many people from the sea and took them to the nearby islands, and the local fishermen saved some survivors wearing the survival jackets while they were attracted in the volatile waters.
The photos and videos distributed on social media showed terrified passengers, most of whom were wearing survival jackets, jumping into the sea while orange fire and black smoke were fired from the burning ship.
The search and rescue process was continuing, although there were no immediate reports on people who were still missing. The authorities previously said that five people had died, but the National Research and Rescue Agency had reviewed it to three early on Monday after two passengers were reported at first and a dead was rescued in a hospital, including a two -month -old child whose lungs are filled with sea water.
Sihombing said the fire that started at the back of the ferry had been extinguished within an hour. The statement was initially recorded only 280 passengers and 15 crew members, but the National Salvation Agency confirmed that 568 survivors had been rescued and recovered three bodies, including a pregnant woman.
It is common for the number of passengers to differ on a boat or a ferry from the statement in Indonesia. Sihombing said this contradiction can contribute to accidents and can make search and rescue efforts.
The capacity of the ferry is 600 people.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are a common way to travel. Disasters occur regularly, while blame for enforcing weak safety.
A quick boat carrying 18 people overturned during a storm on July 14, and all its occupants were found by the next day. Earlier in the month, a phrase was sank near Bali Island in Indonesia, leaving at least 19 dead and 16 others missing. A two -week search operation included more than 600 rescuers, three naval ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.
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This report contributed to this report.