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15 foreign tourists safe after motorboat catches fire in Komodo National Park
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Indonesian workers and firefighters try to extinguish a fire on fishing boats at Benoa harbor in Denpasar, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, on July 9. A massive fire laid waste to dozens of boats at a Bali port as firefighters battled to bring the dramatic blaze under control. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
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motorboat caught fire while carrying 15 foreign tourists near Padar island, one of the main islands of Komodo National Park in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday morning.
Coordinator of West Manggarai Search and Rescue Team, Edi Suryono, said on Tuesday evening that all the tourists and boat crew were safe.
He explained that the tourists came from five countries, namely seven from England, four from the United States, two from France, one from Portugal and one from the Netherlands.
The KM Molise (Alba Cruise) boat serves as an interislands recreational boat to transport passengers around Komodo district.
“The motorboat carries tourists all day from Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores to other islands that located around Komodo district,” he said, as quoted by kompas.com.
The passengers were rescued by people from another motorboat sailing nearby Padar island when the incident occurred.
The wreckage of the boat was being taken to the nearest island as of Tuesday evening.
“The cause and the chronology of this incident are still under investigation,” he said.
Last week, 10 hectares of savanna vegetation burned on Gili Lawa Darat island – also part of Komodo National Park – which is located around 20 kilometers north from Padar island. That case, which was allegedly caused by a lit cigarette tossed by a visitor on the island’s summit, is still under investigation.
Gili Lawa Darat island has been closed until further notice, while other islands in Komodo National Park are still open for tourists. (sau)
