Eight Killed In Stampede Cause by Ferry Fire

The KM Kirana IX ferry in Indonesia faced disaster this Wednesday when the ship caught fire spurring a panicked stampede of passengers trying to evacuate the ship. Eight people were trampled to death in the chaos Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, making it the second Indonesian ferry disaster within a single week

According to the Jakarta Post a truck aboard the 500-passenger packed ferry lad caught fire from a possible oil leak and caused an explosion inside of the ferry and spread quickly through the cabin. Of the eight passengers who perished on the ferry, seven were identified as women, and believed to have died from lack of oxygen after being trampled by frantic passengers trying to move downstairs to safety. As many as 55 suffered varying degree of injury and were taken to the Port Hospital center. One passenger is missing from allegedly jumping overboard, who AFP reports East Java’s search and rescue are still trying to locate.

The ship's owner, Bambang Haryo, explained to TV One that although the fire was quickly put out, there were just too many people to manage to control the incident from escalating.

Transportation Minister, Freddy Numbery, said that it was the captain’s responsibility to safeguard the vessel’s passengers, however he followed by saying this was a case of human error and not sabotage. He continued to say that the sent an edict to all seaports in Indonesia for better coordination and safety practices among crew.

The KM Kirana IX was due to sail to the South Kalimantan province on the Indonesian part of Borneo. --MarEx

To read about the ferry incident earlier this week, click here.