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Perfume Blamed for Ferry Fire That Sparked Deadly Stampede
Amir Tejo & Arientha Primanita | September 28, 2011

Indonesian police officers carry a victim following a fire on a ferry in Surabaya on Wednesday. At least nine people died in the ensuing stampede. (EPA Photo) Indonesian police officers carry a victim following a fire on a ferry in Surabaya on Wednesday. At least nine people died in the ensuing stampede. (EPA Photo)
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Surabaya. Perfume stashed in the cabin of a truck is believed to have been behind the fire that broke out on board the Kirana ferry at Tanjung Perak port here, setting off a stampede that left nine people dead, police said on Wednesday.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Jayadi, the Tanjung Perak Police chief, said the cabin of the truck, which was carrying a load of shallots, was badly damaged.

The fire started at about 6:20 a.m. on Wednesday and most of the victims died in a stampede that followed. One of the dead had jumped into the sea.

Dharma Lautan Utama, the company that owns the ferry, which was built in 1990, said the fire was not the result of any problems with the ship. It added that screening the cargo carried by vehicles that boarded the ferry was not its responsibility.

“Checking the passengers’ cargo does not fall under the responsibility of the ship’s management,” said the company’s president, Bambang Haryo. “We leave that entirely in the hands of the port management and security. Truck drivers even have to declare that they are not carrying any materials that could pose a fire risk.”

Bambang said the crew members on the ferry had been quick in responding to the fire, and that the ship’s fire-fighting equipment was adequate and functioning properly. The ferry, he added, also meets international safety standards.

Bambang also said the victims had not died because of the fire directly but in the ensuing panic.

“Don’t talk about emergency situations. Even at football matches and in the distribution of alms, deaths can happen,” he said. “What is clear, though, is that crew members responded professionally.”

The fire, he said, broke out when the ferry was still in the process of taking on goods and passengers. There were some 758 passengers already on board, 36 motorcycles, 24 cars and 20 large trucks.

“This ship can carry up to 2,000 passengers but for reasons of comfort we are limiting passenger numbers to just 1,000,” Bambang said.

The ship did not suffer serious damage in the fire and was expected to sail from Tanjung Priok to Batu Licin in South Kalimantan later on Wednesday, he said.

Speaking separately, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi backed the shipowner’s explanation that there was nothing wrong with the vessel.

“The sprinkler system worked, but the passengers panicked and a stampede occurred,” he said.

He said he had ordered port officers to coordinate better with ship crews in screening goods going onto passenger ships.

This is the second fatal ferry disaster in the country in the last week.