Following the tragedy on Sunday, over 280 individuals were rescued, and evacuation operations were still in progress.
According to Vice Admiral Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, the KM Barcelona 5 caught fire in waters close to Talise while it was traveling from Talaud, an island district in the province, to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
According to the senior commander, 284 passengers and crew members have been evacuated thus far from three navy ships that have been sent.
However, according to Nuriadin Gumeleng, public relations officer for the Manado SAR Office, one terrible victim was a pregnant woman who was sent to Manado from Talaud.
“Currently, only one person has been identified as having died, a pregnant woman. Her body is now on land,” Gumeleng told local news site Harian Jogja.
Local fisherman helped with the rescue effort, saving a few people who were wearing life jackets as they floated to neighboring islands in the rough seas.
The precise number of passengers and staff members on board the boat was unknown, and there were no early reports of injuries.
As plumes of grey smoke rise above the debris, striking video of the tragedy shows the entire ship completely consumed by blazing orange flames.
A recording of the wrecked boat shows several passengers sitting on the side of the ship in orange life vests, driven into the sea, and a woman sobbing uncontrollably.
After swimming away from the boat, the camera suddenly shows several hundred individuals already in the water.
A man recounting his story of the horrific events appears to be saving a toddler from the sea in another video.
As the father talks, he is seen recording the debris from a distance while holding the small infant in his arms while the child coughs.
In one chilling broadcast uploaded to Facebook a passenger named Abdul Rahmad Agu pleaded: “We are burning at sea… we need help… fast…”
Emergency personnel are rushing to make sure that every passenger is safe as rescue efforts continue.
The three rescue vessels sent to the area were identified as the KM Barcelona III, KM Venecian, and KM Cantika Lestari 9F by a Manado KSOP officer.
According to local publication IDN Times, the boat was supposed to dock at Manado Port when the catastrophe occurred.
Official updates have been requested, and families of those on board have been asked to remain calm.
A tourist boat carrying 53 persons sank in Vietnam a few days prior, killing at least 38 people.
The Wonder Sea boat was hit by strong winds in Halong Bay. Rescue workers rescued 11 people and recovered 37 bodies, while five people are still missing, according to Vn Express.
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