”Five people have been reported dead, of which two have not yet been identified. At the same time, 284 people have been evacuated in a safe manner”, the coast guard writes in a statement.
The coast guard does not state how many people were on board the ferry or how many were injured. In the statement, they write that many passengers jumped into the water in connection with the fire breaking out in the ferry's stern. Local fishermen are said to have assisted the coast guard and taken passengers to nearby islands.
What caused the fire is unclear. The accident occurred about an hour from the resort town of Likupang, which is located in the northern parts of the province of Sulawesi.
Ship accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, partly due to lack of safety or bad weather.
