Eight die, 15 missing after ferry catches fire, sinks off Medan<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
At least eight people were dead and 15 others, mostly children,
\nare missing and feared drowned after a fire swept through a ferry
\nbefore it capsized early on Monday in rough seas off Tanjung
\nBalai Asahan, North Sumatra, officials said.<\/p>\n
Survivors said the crowded ship carrying more than 80
\npassengers and seven crew members sank after a fire broke out
\nwhen its engine overheated and exploded.<\/p>\n
At least 64 people, including the 43-year-old captain of the
\nill-fated KM Mutiara Indah, Effendi Simatupang, and its chief
\ntechnician, Fendi Purba, survived the tragedy.<\/p>\n
They were rescued four hours after the accident, which took
\nplace at 1 a.m. while the vessel was traveling north from Tanjung
\nLedong for a five-hour trip to Tanjung Balai.<\/p>\n
Effendi and Fendi are being interrogated by Tanjung Balai Sea
\nPolice, and an officer said they would likely be named suspects.<\/p>\n
"The ferry's engine overheated and triggered a fire on board,"
\nFirst Brig. Soeroto, a local sea police officer, told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
He said Fendi told investigators that the boat's chief
\ntechnician was asleep when the engine overheated.<\/p>\n
"Fire is to blame for the accident, not the weather," the
\nofficer added.<\/p>\n
Soeroto said, however, that the ship's crew members were
\nnegligent and were also responsible for the fire as they did not
\ninspect the engine or fix the problem before the ship departed.<\/p>\n
He said the search for the 25 missing passengers, believed to
\nbe mostly children, lasted four hours.<\/p>\n
"We don't know the fate of those missing. They have most
\nlikely drowned, but there is also a possibility that some of them
\ncould have been picked up by fishermen," Soeroto added.<\/p>\n
Aside from the 80 passengers, the boat was also carrying three
\nmotorcycles and 300 sacks of rice, he added.<\/p>\n
He said the rescuers found it difficult to locate victims due
\nto poor visibility as the fatal accident took place at night and
\nthe ship sank 48 kilometers from Tanjung Balai harbor.<\/p>\n
Five of the victims were identified as Anton Gultom, 58,
\nTumpak Sitohang, 52, Rahimin Sinaga, 43, Bunga Sinaga, 5, and
\nAmir, 24. The other three fatalities, including a 30-year-old
\nwoman and two men, have not been identified yet.<\/p>\n
The dead and eight seriously injured passengers were taken to
\nTanjung Balai general hospital.<\/p>\n
Diana, one of the survivors, said her two children, aged three
\nmonths and six years, were among the missing passengers. She said
\nshe was unable to help them as she panicked when the fire broke
\nout.<\/p>\n
"The fire started so quickly with several explosions coming
\nfrom the engine, and then the ship started sinking," she told the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Soeroto quoted the boat's captain as saying that he had
\noperated the 122 ton weight ship since 2002, and it was owned by
\na man named Apeng, who bought it three years ago.<\/p>\n
Boat accidents are common across this vast archipelago where
\nmuch traveling is done by ship. Many accidents involve overloaded
\nships. Safety regulations are often ignored and poorly enforced
\nwith ship owners often claiming they are unable to afford
\nmaintenance or repairs.<\/p>",
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