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Two killed, 19 injured in Bali boat explosion
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Fatal blast: Police investigators examine the Gili Cat 2 boat following an explosion while it was en route from Padangbai Port in Bali to nearby Gili Trawangan Island in Lombok on Thursday. Two were reportedly killed and 19 other people were injured. (AP/-)
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wo foreign tourists were killed and 19 others were injured in an explosion on board of a ferry in Padangbai Port in Karangasem, Bali, on Thursday.
The police say they believe the blast was an accident and ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
The incident occurred at around 9.35 a.m., shortly after the boat left the port. “Five minutes after the boat departed, only around 200 meters from the harbor, smoke was seen coming from the boat, then an explosion was heard,” Karangasem Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sugeng Sudarso said.
The boat, the Gili Cat 2, was on its way to three islands — Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan — in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) when the incident happened.
The boat carried 29 foreign tourists: two Spanish, nine British, six Italian, four Portuguese, two Germans, two Dutch and four Austrians.
Fifteen victims were evacuated to Penta Medica Clinic, five to Manggis community health center and another to Klungkung public hospital. After receiving emergency treatment, they were evacuated to several hospitals in Denpasar and Gianyar.
Padangbai Health Agency coordinator Putu Swardiana said dozens of ambulances were involved in the evacuation. “One victim was directly taken to Klungkung hospital after sustaining a fractured spine,” Swardiana said.
The first fatality, who has yet to be identified, died on the way to hospital. The second fatality, identified as Austrian Kathrin Zefferer, 28, died after receiving treatment at Kasih Ibu Saba hospital in Gianyar.
“About five minutes after we left we saw an explosion and we saw people with injuries,” Portuguese tourist Eduarda Carvalho said, adding that she only saw smoke and no fire.
Members of the police’s bomb squad and forensics laboratory team were involved in the investigation into the incident.
“From preliminary investigations, we believe that this is purely an accident. We suspect there was a leak from a fuel tank under the deck. Perhaps the explosion was triggered by an electrical short circuit,” Sugeng said.
He added that further investigation was needed to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
The boat’s skipper, named Totok Wasito, and three crew members — identified as Sugiarto, Nyoman Supartika and Kadek Kris — have been interrogated.
The incident did not dissuade other tourists from making their trips to the three islands off the northwest coast of Lombok, the capital of the province of NTB.
Many foreign tourists were seen at the port waiting to board the boats that would take them to the province, which has begun to rival Bali in terms of popularity.
Visits by foreign tourists to NTB have increased, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
More than 7,300 foreigners traveled to the region in March, up 22.52 percent on the same month last year, marking the fastest growth in tourist arrivals among all destinations in the country.
During the first three months of 2016, the agency recorded 18,702 foreign tourist arrivals through Lombok International Airport.
