Indonesia ferry fire kills 17
Many still missing as Indonesia plans to tow charred ferry
Jakarta: The navy plans to tow a charred ferry towards port on Friday, an officer said, amid confusion over how many passengers were on board and may still be missing.
Officials said 17 people died and 17 were missing after fire broke out on the Levina 1 off Jakarta Bay on Thursday. The vessel was reportedly carrying 307 passengers.
Preliminary findings showed the fire may have started from a truck with inflammable chemical cargo and spread throughout the ferry.
Many of the passengers jumped into the sea to escape the flames and searing heat.
Some of the missing could still be trapped on the ship, said Lieutenant Colonel Hendra Pakan of the Indonesian navy's western fleet.
"There's a possibility people are still trapped in the ship, because 17 people are still listed as missing," he said. However, he thought most on board would have tried to get off.
"Navy ships are still searching for victims in the sea around the location because we believe people would rather jump into the sea than be trapped in a ship on fire," Pakan said.
The Levina I was on its way to Bangka island off Sumatra with about 300 people on board when it caught fire soon after dawn 80km from Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port.
TV footage of the stricken vessel showed plumes of thick black smoke emerging from the ferry's lower decks, while a fire-fighting ship alongside tried to douse the blaze.
One of the first survivors brought back to Jakarta described the panic when the crew told passengers the fire had broken out in the lower deck, loaded with motorcycles and cars.
"It was dark. The first thing I did was look for a lifebuoy and then jumped into the sea. I saw someone jump without a lifebuoy who died," said the passenger, giving his name as Mursid.
Bobby Mamahit, an official at the centre for navigation at the transport ministry, told reporters at the port on Thursday afternoon that 17 people had died, 17 were missing and 274 had survived. He said the ferry was 27 years old and built in Japan.
Colonel Didin Z.A, who headed the navy rescue team, told reporters in the port that the dead included three children.
