Ferry Fire Kills At Least Three off Sulawesi

On Sunday, a major fire broke out aboard a ferry off the coast of Sulawesi, forcing the passengers and crew to abandon ship into the water.

At about 1200-1300 hours, a blaze broke out in the upper decks of the ferry Barcelona V as it transited off the coast of Talisei Island, en route to Manado City on the far northeastern tip of Sulawesi. The passengers evacuated onto the weather decks as the fire spread through the interior, then - as the flames approached - abandoned ship over the side. Video from the scene shows the vessel's liferafts still in their cradles and hundreds of people in the water.

TRAGEDI LAUT SULUT?? KM BARCELONA 5 TERBAKAR, 3 PENUMPANG MENINGGAL

MINAHASA UTARA – Kapal penumpang KM Barcelona 5 yang tengah berlayar dari Talaud menuju Manado terbakar hebat saat melintasi perairan Gangga, Kabupaten Minahasa Utara, Sulawesi Utara, Sabtu (19/7/2025) siang.… pic.twitter.com/Xbx4IpcmJQ

— Khatulistiwa Indonesia (@Meta80ki) July 20, 2025

The Indonesian Navy, Maritime Security Agency (Baklama), good Samaritan vessels and local SAR assets responded to the scene. 280 passengers were rescued by first responders, the commander of a nearby naval station told Antara. Three of those individuals died during the abandon-ship process. One of the deceased was a pregnant woman, according to the Manado Search and Rescue office.

The fire burned through the vessel's topsides and was extinguished later that day. Rescuers are searching the wreckage of the ship to see if there are any remains of further personnel.

Sebuah kapal motor penumpang KMP Barcelona 5 hari ini dikabarkan terbakar hebat di perairan salise Sulawesi Utara kab Tojo Una una.ratusan korban terjun kelaut untuk menyelamatkan diri. #kapalterbakar#kmpbarcelona#kapalkebakarandisulawesipic.twitter.com/s0MZ3E47CD

— mahkota99 (@tentaralangit99) July 20, 2025

DARURAT DI LAUT TALISE, TNI AL EVAKUASI KM BARCELONA VA DARI AMUKAN API

Jalesveva Jayamahe,
Jakarta, 20 Juli 2025 - - - Gerak cepat Prajurit TNI AL bantu evakuasi insiden kebakaran yang menimpa Kapal Motor (KM) Barcelona VA di perairan Talise, Minggu siang. (20/7).

Adapun… pic.twitter.com/9aDVaJlSKe

— Radio Elshinta (@RadioElshinta) July 20, 2025

Breaking!
Kapal Barcelona 5 Terbakar di Perairan Talise, Penumpang Panik & Lompat ke Laut (20/7/2025)
????Kabupaten Minahasa Utara

????: Detik-detik Sejumlah penumpang melompat ke laut karena panik melihat kapal terbakar, Satu Penumpang Ibu Hamil Dilaporkan Tewas pic.twitter.com/eL7LCxbSuM

— Miss Tweet | (@Heraloebss) July 20, 2025

Ferry casualties are not uncommon in Indonesia, where the population relies heavily on passenger vessels for transportation among the archipelagic nation's countless islands. A large domestic fleet and less stringent safety standards combine to create elevated numbers of incidents. Earlier this month, a local ferry went down off Bali in rough weather, claiming 16 lives.