The vessel was carrying at least 32 people when it suddenly burst into flames on Saturday afternoon – with the blast occurring as the boat was being refuelled at port
Indonesia: Politician and entourage killed in horror speedboat explosion
A politician and members of his entourage are among six people to have died in a horror speedboat explosion.
The vessel was carrying at least 32 people when it suddenly burst into flames on Saturday afternoon while the boat was being refuelled. Horror images and video show the vessel half-submerged in the sea with its top blown off.
Intense flames and thick, black smoke can be seen billowing from the wreckage. According to reports, 25 people were evacuated and 10 were taken to hospitals with light injuries. North Maluku gubernatorial candidate Benny Laos was among those who died in the blast at Bobong Regional Port in Pulau Taliabu, Indonesia.
Cecilia Octavia Mbotengu of the Bobong Regional Hospital told local media: “All the medical staff did their best to treat Benny Laos. But at 5:20pm the attending doctors declared him deceased.”
The other victims have been named as Ester Tantry, Hamdani Boamonabot, Mubin A. Wahid, Nasrun, and Mahsudin Ode Muisi. Tantry was a member of the North Maluku Provincial DPRD and Brig. Boamonabot was Laos’s police escort. Wahid was chair of the North Maluku Regional United Development Party (PPP).
Laos’s running mate Sabrin Sehe was among the survivors, as reported by NeedToKnow. The speedboat reportedly belonged to Laos, 52, and was planning to depart for Kawalo Village, West Taliabu District, for a campaign. The engine, a generator, and several onboard electrical appliances were turned on while the boat was being refuelled, according to reports. The North Maluku Regional Police are investigating the tragedy.
It comes just days after a large German oil tanker caught fire off the Baltic coast , sparking a major rescue operation. The tanker ‘Annika’, which is 73 metres (240ft) long, began burning at 9:15am local time while anchored in the Bay of Mecklenburg, near the seaside resort of Kuhlungsborn.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a large explosion this morning before enormous clouds of smoke began rising from the ship, visible from the shore. Seven crew members were onboard the Annika at the time, all of whom have since been rescued.
An emergency tug boat immediately set out to unload and cool the ship before other vessels joined to fight the flames and evacuate those onboard. The survivors were evacuated by the sea rescue boat “Wilma Sikorski” of the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS). The tanker was anchored and attached to the tug boat.
“A fire broke out on the Annika tanker on Friday morning,” the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said. “All seven crew members on board were picked up and brought to shore.” The Annika sails under the German flag and was built in 2012.