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ight passengers aboard the KM Kirana IX ferry were trampled to death in a stampede sparked by panic on Wednesday, after a truck laden with garlic caught fire inside the ferry at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya.

The fire triggered chaos as passengers attempted to flee the vessel, which was about to leave for Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

Of the eight deceased, seven were women. They were believed to have died due to a lack of oxygen after being trampled by passengers who were jostling to get down the stairs.

Apart from the eight victims, most of whom came from East Java, another passenger is feared missing after he jumped overboard. As many as 55 passengers suffered slight or serious injuries and were taken to the Port Hospital Center at Tanjung Perak Port.

The bodies of the dead victims were immediately evacuated to the health center and later taken to the Dr. Soetomo General Hospital.

Based on information gathered at the scene, the fire started in the cabin of the truck, which was en route to Batu Licin, East Kalimantan. The fire is estimated to have spread quickly inside the cabin and burned part of its cargo of garlic.

The fire caused thick smoke to billow across the lower deck, where the truck and dozens of other vehicles were parked.

“It didn’t take long to control the fire as all the ship’s hydrants functioned well,” said Surabaya Fire Department’s fire control and prevention division head Ari Bekti Iswantoro.

Transportation Minister Freddy Numbery said in Jakarta that the fire was caused by an oil leak from a truck. “It was the captain’s responsibility to safeguard the passengers on his vessel. Fortunately, the safety system aboard the ship was good, but people were [in a state of] panic at that time,” he said.

“It’s [a case of] human error, not sabotage. I’ve sent an edict to all the seaports in Indonesia, asking all personnel to be more alert and practice good coordination with ship captains,” he added.

Wednesday’s fire is the fourth sea accident to take place in Indonesia this month alone. On Sept. 24, the Sri Tunggal ferry sank in Sumenep waters, East Java, killing 11 passengers. Another boat, the Sri Murah Rezeki, traveling from Nusa Lembongan Island to Nusa Penida Island capsized on Sept. 11, resulting in the deaths of 11 passengers and 13 missing. On Sept. 15, one passenger died and another went missing when a speedboat capsized off Kei Besar Island, Southest Maluku.

Managing director of PT Dharma Lautan Utama (DLU) shipping company, Bambang Harjo, said his company did not suffer a significant loss from the fire. “We haven’t suffered a loss from the incident because the fire was not caused by the ship but by the truck,” he said.

DLU immediately carried out compensatory measures by issuing full ticket refunds to an estimated 758 passengers, reimbursing each passenger Rp 280,000 (US$33), and providing transportation costs to return them to their places of origin.