Ferry capsizing kills 14 in southern Indonesia

Officials in Indonesia have reported that 14 people were killed after a passenger ferry caught fire and later capsized in the country’s southern waters on Monday, October 24.

The 267GT Express Cantika 77 was underway with 230 passengers and 10 crewmembers in the southern province of East Nusa Tenggara when a distress call was sent indicating that a blaze had ignited on board.

Many of the passengers and crew then donned lifejackets and jumped into the water as the fire spread through the vessel, which eventually capsized.

Personnel from the country’s Basarnas search and rescue agency as well as local police officers and volunteers that arrived on-scene were able to pull 226 survivors and 14 deceased individuals out of the water. None of the ferry’s occupants have been reported as missing.

Investigators are looking into the probable causes of the fire and the subsequent capsizing.