Indonesian captain held after deadly tourist boat fire
Saturday, 04 Jan, 2017
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Indonesian police have detained the boat captain in charge of a tourist boat which caught fire off Jakarta, killing 23 passengers.
The Zahro Express boat had just left Jakarta heading for Tidung in the Pulau Seribu archipelago when it was engulfed in flames just before New Year.
Media reports said Muhammad Nali was among the first to abandon ship.
Ferry Budiharso, a spokesman for Pulau Seribu police said he was being questioned over suspected negligence.
Jakarta’s search and rescue agency chief, Hendra Sudirman said 194 people were rescued with about 50 suffering injuries.
Passengers were mostly Indonesians travelling to the archipelago, which translates as ‘Thousand Islands,’ which is a popular tourist destination for long weekends.
Police spokesman Budiharso said the fire was sparked by a short circuit on a power generator.
It mirrors a similar accident last September when a speed boat operated by Gili Cat exploded after a short circuit in a fuel tank battery off East Bali.
Two foreign tourists were killed and several injured in that incident.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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