A passenger ship carrying hundreds of people caught fire in Indonesia — with terrified passengers filmed jumping into the ocean and desperately treading water as the vessel burned.
At least three people, including a pregnant woman, were killed and two others were still missing after the KM Barcelona V-A caught fire while hauling 575 passengers from Melonguane to Manado around midday Sunday, authorities said.
Harrowing video shot by sobbing passengers in the water captured scores of people, most wearing life jackets, plunging into the water as flames engulfed the vessel and huge plumes of smoke billowed into the sky.
The KM Barcelona V-A caught fire around midday Sunday while making its regular half-day journey between two ports in North Sulawesi province, from Melonguane to Manado.
Photos and videos circulated on social media showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel. William Edson Apena via Storyful
A passenger treading water after jumping off the burning ferry. Viral Press
A woman and a child in the ocean to escape the fire. Viral Press
One video captured a man trying to stay afloat as he cradled a small child, while another showed a woman screaming as fellow passengers bobbed in the water nearby.
Rescue crews and local fishermen scrambled to pull survivors — including a 2-month-old baby — from the choppy waters.
This screen grab taken from video released by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency and the Indonesian coast guard shows the KM Barcelona 5 ferry after a fire broke out while on its way to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province. INDONESIA’S NATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY (BASARNAS)/INDONESIAN COAST GUARD/AFP via Getty ImagesPassengers getting evacuated to a rescue ship BAKAMLA/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock
Passengers seen evacuating the ferry during the fire. William Edson Apena via Storyful
William Edson Apena via Storyful
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire that began in the ferry’s stern and was extinguished within an hour, Sihombing said. Kantor sar Manado via Storyful
Authorities are still probing the cause of the fire, which began in the ferry’s stern.
The blaze took an hour to extinguish, local authorities said.
