Indonesian ferry catches fire with more than 700 people on board

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Jakarta | Sun, 05/18/2008 5:54 PM

 

More than 700 passengers were safely evacuated after an Indonesian ferry caught fire Sunday as it neared its destination on the island of Borneo, an official said.

 

The ship had reached an inland river and was close to the town of Samuda when flames broke out on the top passenger deck, assistant police Lt. Suwarno told The Associated Press.

 

All passengers were believed to have been evacuated, local police Chief Lt. Col. Jihantono told Indonesian broadcaster MetroTV.

 

"Hopefully, there will be no casualties because it happened during daylight," said Suwarno, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name.

 

The boat was approaching the port of Sampit in the Mentaya river, around 500 miles (800 kilometers) northeast of Jakarta, when the fire started, Suwarno said. The passengers were mostly workers at oil palm plantations.

 

The ferry was sailing from Surabaya, the provincial capital of East Java, to Central Kalimantan on the Indonesian half of Borneo island with at least 706 passengers and 22 crew, district chief Wahyudi Anwar told MetroTV.

 

Boat is a main source of transportation in Indonesia, a vast archipelago with more than 17,000 islands. Overcrowding and poorly enforced safety standards cause frequent accidents.