(7/24/2006)
A locally owned and operated tourist boat sailing from Nusa Penida to Sumbawa caught fires and sunk on Wednesday, July 19, 2006, just moments after setting sail from Lembongan.
According to the Indonesian-language
Bali Post, the
Purnama Indah II, carrying 6 crew and 11 tourists, caught fire within 500 meters of the starting point of its voyage. An explosion of the ship's main engine resulted in a rapidly spreading fire causing all hands to abandon ship and swim for the nearby shoreline. Fortunately, the 17 passengers and crew made it safely to shore where they reported the fire to the local police office on Nusa Penida.
The ship, which is owned by Wayan Tarsan a native of Nusa Lembongan, suffered estimated material losses of Rp. 2.3 billion (approximately US$245,000).
Preliminary police investigations suggest the fire was accidental, caused by a short circuit in the engine room
The passengers – comprised of 6 Brazilians, 3 Peruvians and 2 Indonesian were escorted to Denpasar where the foreign passengers are receiving assistance in replacing their passports and other travel documents which were all lost in the fire.
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