The cruise ship KLM Indo Siren, with 20 foreign tourists on board, caught fire. The fire occurred while the boat was anchored in the waters of Paynemo, Raja Ampat Regency, Southwest Papua. It is presumed that the fire was due to wiring problems.
The head of the Raja Ampat Police, Edwin Parsaoran, reported that before the fire at 06:30, 17 guests and their instructors began diving into the water. At that time, three tourists and 10 crew members remained on the ship.
"Around 06:45, one of the ship's staff saw flames appear in the corridor from an unknown source. He immediately reported the problem to the ship's captain, Hanafi," according to the police chief's statement.
Edwin also explained that the crew tried to extinguish the fire but without success. Around 07:30, the fire started spreading to all compartments. The ship's captain then ordered the evacuation of the remaining three guests on board. They were transported to the shore and accommodated in Gloria's Homestay guesthouse in one of the nearby villages.
"The crew of another ship tried to extinguish the Indo Siren, but the fire spread too quickly, and there was no chance of saving the ship. Seeing that the fire was getting stronger, the captain and the Siren's crew evacuated using lifeboats and several local boats belonging to the community of the nearby village," Edwin explained.
Divers were also evacuated, and fortunately, no one was harmed as a result of the fire. Currently, the police are conducting an investigation into the incident, and the results will be known in the near future. It's worth noting that safety issues with small Indonesian boats regularly arise. Earlier this year, a boat carrying tourists from Bali to the neighboring island of Nusa Penida sank, and in August of this year, a boat with foreign tourists sank off the coast of Sumatra.
You can add one right now!