According to an article published in Khaleej Times, scores of passengers are believed to be trapped inside a passenger ship after it caught fire off East Java province in Indonesia.
What happened?
On 22 August, the passenger KM Santika Nusantara caught fire when it was passing waters off Maselembu in Sumenep district. The fire is said to have erupted in the engine room, but an investigation would be launched by the national transport safety committee (KNKT).
Search and rescue operation was underway but it was not being carried out smoothly as the fire had not been extinguished, said the head of the operation section of the provincial search and rescue office Supriono Mesiham.
The fire kept burning until Friday before it was doused, head of communication for media at the national search and rescue office Yusuf Latief said.
Search on for missing passengers
An official said, “A search and rescue operation for 34 missing people continued Saturday after a passenger ship caught fire off East Java province in central Indonesia, leaving at least four people dead.”
“We have deployed at least two ships. Several other vessels have also been involved in this mission. The focus of the operation is searching for the victims around the scene,” he continued.
303 passengers rescued
Personnel from military, police, search and rescue office, a seaport in the province, as well as sailors, are engaged in the operation, said Yusuf.
So far, a total of 303 people have been rescued, head of the operation section of the provincial search and rescue office Supriono Mesiham told.
“We have established a command post in Surabaya city in East Java to receive reports from relatives about their missing family members,“ the official said.
The ship was en route to a seaport in Balikpapan of East Kalimantan when the incident occurred.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: KhaleejTimes & XinhuanetNews
