At least three lives were lost and many others were affected when the KM Barcelona 5 caught fire while en route from the Talaud Islands to Manado, Indonesia on Sunday morning.
Tragic Fire on Indonesian Passenger Ship Claims Lives
Tragic Fire on Indonesian Passenger Ship Claims Lives
A devastating blaze aboard the KM Barcelona 5 results in fatalities and multiple rescues in North Sulawesi.
At least three people tragically died in a fire aboard the KM Barcelona 5, a passenger ship carrying over 200 individuals in the waters of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday morning, as reported by local authorities. The ship was making its journey from the Talaud Islands to Manado, the provincial capital, when the fire broke out near Talise, according to Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata, who leads the Indonesian Fleet Command.
Images released by Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, show a rescue vessel approaching the KM Barcelona 5, which was engulfed in smoke. Video footage shared on social media depicted desperate passengers donning life jackets, as they evacuated into rescue boats.
The vessel was carrying approximately 280 passengers at the time of the incident. However, the exact number of those rescued, injured, or still missing remains unclear, as ongoing search and rescue operations are being conducted with assistance from at least two ships and smaller inflatable vessels. The cause of the fire and the company operating the KM Barcelona 5 are still under investigation.
Tragic ferry incidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, where sea travel is a primary means of transportation. Earlier this month, a different ferry incident resulted in the sinking of the KMT Tunu Pratama Jaya, claiming the lives of at least five individuals, with another 29 reported missing.
