Shocking: Indonesian boat catches fire moments after setting sail
A tourist boat carrying about 200 people has caught fire this morning off the coast of Indonesia.
According to RTE News, many of the passengers have since been rescued, however 23 people were killed and a number injured in the blaze.
The boat (Zahro Express) was travelling a mere 50km journey north of Jakarta to Tidung Island at the time.
23 dead, 100 rescued after Indonesian boat fire https://t.co/74o5sbTv5C
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 1, 2017
A spokesperson for the Thousand Island Police, Ferry Budiharso, said that a short-circuit in the boats power generator is to blame for the fire which started shortly after leaving the Jakartan port, Muara Angke.
It has been reported that officials are still trying to “determine” exactly how many people were travelling on the vessel.
RTE has reported that the number of sea accidents in Indonesia are “frequent” due to overloading and not enough life vests onboard.
