Jakarta – Police in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta have detained the captain of a boat that caught fire while carrying New Year holidaymakers, killing 23 people, an officer said Monday.
At least 194 people were rescued and 17 others were missing after the boat caught fire on Sunday about 1.6 kilometres out of port on its way to Tidung Island, a holiday destination off north Jakarta, officials said.
“The captain of the boat is in custody,” Jakarta marine police chief Hero Hendriatno Bachtiar said. He said the manifest listed only 100 passengers, while in fact there were 238 on board. Officials said the boat, run by a private company, was designed to carry up to 285 people.
Members of search and rescue team look at a burned ferry at Muara Angke port in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 1, 2017. (Credit Image: © Stringer/Xinhua via ZUMA Wire)
Transportation Minister Budi Karya said the chief of the port where the boat had departed in Jakarta Bay had been relieved from his post, and would be questioned as part of an investigation into the accident.
Rescuers were still searching for 17 people who were believed to be missing. “We have information that 17 people are still missing,” Denny Wahyu, the head of Jakarta’s civil protection agency said.
“Some of the bodies have not been identified because they are charred beyond recognition, and we don’t know if they are among those listed as missing,” he said.
Police said the fire started in the boat’s power generator. Fatal maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, where safety standards are often overlooked.
–dpa
