Six people died and 7 others were still missing on Friday afternoon after a ferry carrying hundreds of people caught fire in the Java Sea in Bangka Belitung province on Thursday, police said.
“There were 197 people on the boat when the incident happened, but only 189 people were registered on the list, including 13 crew,” National Police spokesman, Sr. Comr. Rusli Hadiaman said on Friday.
“The ferry caught fire after one of the passengers disposed of a cigarette into a box full of chicks,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said in a text message to the Jakarta Globe. No further details were provided.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” he added.
Police said that the the MV Express Bahari 8C boat caught fire at 5:30 p.m. around eight kilometers from Tanjung Pandan. It was en route to the Belitung port from Pangkalbalam port on neighboring Bangka.
Police have identified four victims, including a two-year-old girl.
“We managed to save [184] people,” Rusli said.
“The team, consisting of Bangka Belitung Water Police, the Navy and local fishermen, is still combing the area to locate and rescue the missing victims,” National Police analysis and evaluation division chief Sr. Comr. Rusli Hendyaman said at National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.
Saturday 24 August 2013
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/belitung-ferry-fire-6-dead-7-missing/
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