Powered By Blogger

Monday, January 2, 2017

Jakarta boat fire captain held amid 'first to jump ship' reports

An Indonesian boat captain has been arrested after his vessel caught fire, leading to the deaths of at least 23 people.

Police in Indonesia are investigating reports he was the first to jump off the Zahro Express after it became engulfed in flames.

The boat was on its way from Jakarta to the resort of Tidung island on Sunday with at least 250 passengers celebrating New Year at the time.

Police said the captain, named in local reports as Muhammad Nali, was being questioned over suspected negligence.

Local media reported the captain had been the first to throw himself into the water, abandoning the tourists, and was found floating in the sea before being rescued.

Senior transport ministry official Tonny Budiono was quoted in local media as saying: "If the captain jumped first then he is not a real captain - the captain should be the last.

"If it is true we will revoke his licence, he will not be allowed to sail any more."

TV footage showed people in the water screaming "Ya Allah! Ya Allah!" or "Oh God! Oh God!" as the ferry burns in the background.

The manifest showed only 100 people were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen.

Mr Budiono said the boat was built in 2013 and was regarded as seaworthy, and the weather was good.

The ministry has said the fire might have been caused by a short circuit in the engine room.

Some officials said all passengers were now accounted for but some of the bodies have not yet been identified because they were badly burned.

Others said that 224 passengers were rescued, 23 bodies have been found and 17 people are still unaccounted for.

Several government vessels and divers are continuing to scour the waters in case anyone has been missed.

Tidung is part of the Thousand Islands, an archipelago that is a popular holiday spot for Jakarta's 10 million residents.

No comments:

Post a Comment