VIDEO: Passengers Jump From Burning Indonesia Ferry Into The Sea; 3 Dead, 150 Rescued

A fire erupted on the KM Barcelona VA ferry off the Indonesian coast Sunday, killing at least three. The vessel, carrying over 280 passengers en route to Manado, became engulfed in flames.

Visuals of Indonesian ferry on fire.

Source : Twitter

In a tragic incident on Sunday, at least three people were killed after a ferry turned into a floating inferno off the coast of Indonesia. According to metro.cp.uk report, the flames engulfed the KM Barcelona VA vessel carrying more than 280 passengers and travelling towards Manado.

BREAKING: A fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. local time today on the KM Barcelona VA ferry off the coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The vessel, carrying over 280 people from the Talaud Islands to Manado City, forced passengers to leap into the sea. No confirmed casualties… pic.twitter.com/7zkSEk3ZMB

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) July 20, 2025

According to the footage, those on board, most wearing life jackets, but some of them without them, were hurling themselves into the water to save their lives.

"Three people died and nearly 150 were rescued. They were rescued by a combined team of rescuers and local fishing boats," Veri Ariyanto, a senior official at the provincial Search and Rescue Office, told Xinhua.

In the video, thick black smoke was seen billowing from the upper decks of the ferry. According to media reports, the fire broke out at around 1:30 pm (local time). 

A passenger named Abdul Rahmad Agu captured the terrifying scenes through a Facebook livestream. He was among many passengers who jumped into the water, with some of them wearing bright orange life jackets. Agu was seen floating while holding a baby.

"Help, the KM Barcelona V is on fire. There are still many people on board," Abdul said in the video. 

"We are burning at sea... we need help... fast."

The information on how the fire broke out is still to be investigated. 

"It happened very quickly. Around 12:00 WITA, someone shouted that there was a fire at the rear of the ship, and we immediately panicked," said Alwina Alwina, a passenger on the ferry and wife of the Head of Traffic at the Talaud Islands Police, Christian M, as quoted by Antara news.