At least 14 killed in passenger boat fire

By Linsey McNeill
25/10/2022
Home » At least 14 killed in passenger boat fire

Children are among the 14 confirmed dead after a passenger boat carrying more than 300 people caught fire on Monday off southern Indonesia.

Early reports said there were 240 people in the boat, but most recent reports said at least 312 survivors have already been pulled from the sea.

The rescue operation is continuing.

The KM Express Cantika 77 was sailing to Kalabahi from Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara province when it caught fire.

Rescuers from the Kupang Search and Rescue Agency and nearby boats have been involved in the rescue operation. Videos on Youtube show passengers, including a baby, being pulled from the water.

It is the latest boat tragedy in Indonesia, where in 2018 an overcrowded ferry with about 200 passengers sank in a lake in North Sumatra, killing 167 people, and an overcrowded ship sank in 199 with 332 passengers, killing 312.

In May last year, passengers were forced to leap from a ferry in eastern Indonesia when it caught fire. They all survived.

*Image from The Straits Times Youtube video

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