At least five people were killed and more than 280 others rescued after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday, according to the country’s Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla). The vessel, KM Barcelona 5, was en route to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, when flames erupted from the rear of the ferry, prompting chaos onboard. Passengers, some wearing life jackets, jumped into the sea to escape the blaze, while nearby fishermen joined in the rescue efforts.
Bakamla confirmed that 284 people were safely evacuated, though five fatalities have been reported — two of whom have yet to be identified. Those injured were taken to the nearest medical facilities. The incident occurred roughly an hour from the resort town of Likupang, according to George Leo Mercy Randang of the Manado search and rescue agency.
Footage shared by authorities showed a Bakamla vessel dousing the smouldering ferry with water as smoke continued to rise. No cause for the fire has been determined, and authorities have not confirmed the total number of passengers on board at the time.
Indonesia, an archipelago of around 17,000 islands, frequently sees maritime accidents due to poor safety enforcement and challenging weather conditions. The latest tragedy follows a ferry sinking near Bali earlier this month that killed at least 19 people, and a deadly March capsize off Bali that claimed the life of an Australian woman. In 2018, more than 150 people perished in a ferry disaster on Sumatra’s Lake Toba.
