Ferry Catches Fire Near Merak Port

The passenger motor vessel (KMP) Batumandi caught fire in the waters of the Sunda Strait near Merak Port in Cilegon, Banten, on Tuesday afternoon (20 October).

Joint response teams were working to evacuate passengers from the burning vessel.

Banten Police public relations chief Commissioner Maruli Hutapea said the fire broke out at around 4 pm local time on Tuesday (20 October). The incident occurred in the Sunda Strait, behind Pulau Kecil Merak, in Mekarsari village, Pulomerak district, Cilegon.

“Evacuation is still under way. The Regional Disaster Management Agency team and the Banten Police Water and Air Directorate are working to evacuate people at the scene,” he said in a statement.

Maruli added that the relevant agencies were still counting the number of casualties and conducting further investigations.

“So far, the number of casualties and the cause of the fire are still being determined and investigated further.”

Maruli said updates on the situation, including information about casualties and the cause of the fire, would be provided once official information had been obtained from officers at the scene.

A video showing the ferry on fire also went viral, detik.com reported. Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel.

In another video, officers could be seen evacuating passengers in a small boat and taking them to a safer location.