Jakarta (VNA) – At least four people died and more than 30 otherswere missing after a ferry went up in flames off Indonesia’s Java island, anIndonesian official said on August 23.
East Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera confirmed at least four peopledied in the accident and dozens were unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Surabaya’s Tanjung Perak port said the crew couldn’textinguish the fire because the water pumps weren’t working so passengersstarted to abandon the ship.
The KM Santika Nusantara ferry with 277 people on board was travelling betweenIndonesia’s second largest city of Surabaya and the town of Balikpapan onBorneo island when it caught fire on August 22.
According to rescuers, 245 peoplehave been evacuated.
Ferries are an important means of transport in Indonesia, which is madeup of some 17,000 islands. Sea connections are cheaper and more extensive thanair links. However, safety standards are not always strictly enforced andaccidents occur fairly often.
Two months ago, 21 people died when an overloadedferry sank in rough seas off Java's north coast.
Last year, an Indonesianferry sank into the depths of one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatraisland, killing about 160 people.
More than 300 people are estimated to have drowned in 2009 when a ferry sankbetween Sulawesi and Borneo.-VNA
VNA