BALI FERRY FIRE, A ferry carrying 30 tourists

Posted on 09/23/2016 | About Bali

A ferry carrying 30 tourists and four crewmembers exploded just minutes out of port, killing two tourists and injuring 18 others. The high-speed ferry had just departed from Bali for a sailing to a series of holiday islands.

A women from Austria and one from Australia died in the explosion and police report injuries sustained by visitors from Britain, Italy, France, Portugal, Ireland and Germany who were carried away on stretchers.
The police have not determined the exact cause of the incident on September 15, but have ruled out foul play, with Bali police chief Sugeng Sudarso commenting that it was a pure accident.
“Based on the testimony [from passengers] and from what I saw at the scene, the explosion came from the fuel tank. Above it was a battery, maybe there was a short circuit that affected the fuel tank… The passengers are still in shock. We have only managed to talk to six of them."
The world’s largest archipelago nation spans more than 17,000 islands with a population of 256 million that depends on ferry travel. The Muslim nation receives millions of tourists who also use the ferry system.
In that region marine accidents are common, and safety regulations poorly enforced, but in this case Ig Agung Komang Arbawa, a port official said, "The Gili Cat II was deemed safe to sail when it departed this morning."