Fifty-eight passengers taking a regularly scheduled ferry between Langkawi island and Kuala Perlis on the mainland are counting their blessings after they were all successfully evacuated after their boat caught fire yesterday afternoon.
Fire and Rescue officials are still conducting forensic investigations on the burnt vessel, although officials believe a fire in the engine room is to blame.
Alarmed passengers began to call emergency services shortly after the ferry had set off from Langkawi’s Kuah boat terminal, reporting that the Dragon Star 1 was on fire and quickly filling up with smoke.
Sebuah feri yang menuju ke Kuala Perlis terbakar di perairan Langkawi, kira-kira pukul 3 petang tadi – Bomba
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Panicked passengers jumped into the sea, but were soon collected by rescuers, as well as private citizens who were enjoying a Sunday afternoon on the water when tragedy struck. In total ten boats from the boating community came to the aid of the stricken ferry, along with a couple of nearby jet skis.
One passenger told local media outlet The Sun that while she and others evacuated in “an orderly manner,” many were afraid that the ferry would explode.
Following their rescue, the travelers were put on a later ferry bound for Kuala Perlis. However, the fire has called for better safety for the ferries servicing the island, with the chairman of the Langkawi Tourism Organization calling it “problematic,” stricken with delays and maintenance issues, and with safety inspection few and far between.
