Indonesia: 5 Dead, 20 Missing in Tourist Boat Fire

At least five people have been confirmed dead after a fire broke out on a large boat carrying tourists to islands north of the Indonesian capital, while more than a dozen others remain missing and around 150 have been rescued.

Detik.com also quoted Jakarta Water Police Director Hero Hendrianto Bachtiar as saying, “20 passengers are missing,” Anadolu news agency reported.

National Disaster Management Agency Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Anadolu that the Zahro Express tourist ship departed from Jakarta in the morning en route to Tidung Island in Thousand Islands Regency.

Satriadi Gunawan, the head of North Jakarta’s fire department, said his officers received a report on the incident at 08.46 a.m. and immediately dispatched teams to the site.

“We have deployed five fire boats to extinguish the fire,” he said.

Gunawan refused to comment on the possible cause of the fire.

The flames engulfing the ship were reportedly later extinguished and the vessel brought to the Muara Angke Port in Jakarta.

Three crew members were taken to a local police station for questioning.

Indonesia’s waterways serve as a widespread form of transportation in some areas of the archipelago, where accidents resulting from overcrowded boats and lax safety standards are common.