Eight die, 15 missing after ferry catches fire, sinks off Medan

Eight die, 15 missing after ferry catches fire, sinks off Medan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

At least eight people were dead and 15 others, mostly children,
are missing and feared drowned after a fire swept through a ferry
before it capsized early on Monday in rough seas off Tanjung
Balai Asahan, North Sumatra, officials said.

Survivors said the crowded ship carrying more than 80
passengers and seven crew members sank after a fire broke out
when its engine overheated and exploded.

At least 64 people, including the 43-year-old captain of the
ill-fated KM Mutiara Indah, Effendi Simatupang, and its chief
technician, Fendi Purba, survived the tragedy.

They were rescued four hours after the accident, which took
place at 1 a.m. while the vessel was traveling north from Tanjung
Ledong for a five-hour trip to Tanjung Balai.

Effendi and Fendi are being interrogated by Tanjung Balai Sea
Police, and an officer said they would likely be named suspects.

"The ferry's engine overheated and triggered a fire on board,"
First Brig. Soeroto, a local sea police officer, told The Jakarta
Post.

He said Fendi told investigators that the boat's chief
technician was asleep when the engine overheated.

"Fire is to blame for the accident, not the weather," the
officer added.

Soeroto said, however, that the ship's crew members were
negligent and were also responsible for the fire as they did not
inspect the engine or fix the problem before the ship departed.

He said the search for the 25 missing passengers, believed to
be mostly children, lasted four hours.

"We don't know the fate of those missing. They have most
likely drowned, but there is also a possibility that some of them
could have been picked up by fishermen," Soeroto added.

Aside from the 80 passengers, the boat was also carrying three
motorcycles and 300 sacks of rice, he added.

He said the rescuers found it difficult to locate victims due
to poor visibility as the fatal accident took place at night and
the ship sank 48 kilometers from Tanjung Balai harbor.

Five of the victims were identified as Anton Gultom, 58,
Tumpak Sitohang, 52, Rahimin Sinaga, 43, Bunga Sinaga, 5, and
Amir, 24. The other three fatalities, including a 30-year-old
woman and two men, have not been identified yet.

The dead and eight seriously injured passengers were taken to
Tanjung Balai general hospital.

Diana, one of the survivors, said her two children, aged three
months and six years, were among the missing passengers. She said
she was unable to help them as she panicked when the fire broke
out.

"The fire started so quickly with several explosions coming
from the engine, and then the ship started sinking," she told the
Post.

Soeroto quoted the boat's captain as saying that he had
operated the 122 ton weight ship since 2002, and it was owned by
a man named Apeng, who bought it three years ago.

Boat accidents are common across this vast archipelago where
much traveling is done by ship. Many accidents involve overloaded
ships. Safety regulations are often ignored and poorly enforced
with ship owners often claiming they are unable to afford
maintenance or repairs.