Carrying 184 passengers, the Zahro caught fire on its way from Muara Angke in North Jakarta to Tidung Island in Thousand Islands regency, only hours into the new year.

As many as 23 passengers were killed, almost all of them reportedly burned to death in the fire.

As of Monday evening, 31 injured passengers were still being treated in hospitals while at least 17 others remained missing.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said on Monday that his ministry would examine all safety check mechanisms on vessels, especially those operating in the Jakarta Bay.

Budi said the ministry would revoke the permit of any vessel that failed to meet safety requirements.

Meanwhile, National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) marine accident investigation chief Aldrin Dalimunte suggested that the boat had received safety certification.

He also brushed off speculation that overloading had contributed to the accident.

According to official documents, he added, the boat could carry up to 285 passengers. Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said the number of passengers on board at the time of the accident was 195, regardless of the manifest showing that only 100 passengers had registered for the trip.

However, preliminary findings suggested the boat did not have a design that was conducive to a smooth evacuation in emergency situations.

Aldrin said the initial investigation indicated the fire was caused by a short circuit in the engine, which also generated power for the boat’s air conditioning system. “Zahro was different from other vessels [serving the route] as it was equipped with an air-conditioning system,” he said.

He added that as the cabins were air-conditioned, the passenger cabins were sealed. “There was only one way out, which was at the front of the vessel. And yet the door was very small and could only be passed through by one person at a time,” he said.

“When the fire came from the back [of the boat] and people panicked, the evacuation might have become chaotic,” he added.

Aldrin said the condition worsened as crew members did not provide any information or guidance for passengers about how to deal with an emergency situation, either before or during the incident. “Our interviews with passengers show that they were left on their own to figure out how to escape the danger and stay alive,” he said.

The chief said the KNKT would investigate the accident further, especially regarding the pace of the fire, which may be linked to the cabin’s design and materials. He added that his team would visit the factory that produced the vessel on Tidung Island.

He further said investigators would also closely examine if there had been efforts to extinguish the fire. “According to the documents, the vessel was equipped with fire extinguishers but we need to check on the boat,” he said. It was also not known yet if the engine room had a smoke detector.

Minister Budi said that in order to improve the service and safety standards, he had asked state-owned ship operators — PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) and ASDP Indonesia Ferry — to serve passengers in Thousand Islands. “The vessels will be ready in three days,” he said.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency recorded that 44 private vessels were registered to serve Thousand Islands with around 6,000 to 7,000 passengers during weekends. Many of the boats were owned by private companies.

In the wake of the accident, Budi said the ministry had fired the Muara Angke port master who was responsible for supervising vessels that entered and exited the port.

The ministry and the Jakarta administration have also announced that all victims would receive compensation.

Fires are the most common incidents on water transportation. KNKT data shows that the number of accidents on the sea has increased over recent years. There have been 54 accidents in the last seven years with a total 337 casualties. Most of them were fires, with 19 incidents, followed by drowning with 13 cases.

The Jakarta Police, meanwhile, are holding four of the boat’s crew members, including the helmsman, for questioning, but as of Monday none had been named as suspects.

“We have also questioned two staffers from the ministry as well as three passengers,” Jakarta water police unit head Sr. Comr. Hero Hendriarto said.

Lawmaker Fary Djemi Francis said House of Representatives Commission V would summon the minister.

“We want to know whether there have been procedural violations, poor monitoring or other individual errors,” he said.

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