Indonesian ferry involved in deadly fire had incorrectly written manifest; death toll revised

Officials in Indonesia said that a passenger ferry that suffered an onboard fire while off North Sulawesi province earlier this week was carrying nearly twice as many people as what was listed in its manifest when the tragedy occurred.

Speaking to local news agency Antara, Indonesian search and rescue (SAR) officials said that more than 570 survivors have been pulled out of the water while another three people are confirmed dead following the fire incident on the ferry Barcalona VA in the early afternoon (local time) of Sunday, July 20.

The officials also said that they revised the incident's confirmed death toll upon learning that two people who were initially reported to have perished had in fact survived and have since been brought to hospital. The latter included a two-month-old infant who suffered injuries as a result of the accidental ingestion of seawater into the lungs.

The ferry's manifest at the time of the incident had recorded only 280 passengers and 15 crewmembers, though local media said that the vessel is rated to carry up to 600 people.

An investigation has been launched to identify the events that resulted in the fire.