Second ferry fire in barely two weeks

LANGKAWI: Residents in the quiet town of Pekan Rabu near Kuah were startled when a passenger ferry which was under repair at the tourism jetty caught fire.

Langkawi Fire and Rescue Station operation commander Mohd Zabidi Che Teh said the Coral Island I ferry was ablaze at about 10.20am yesterday.

“We received a distress call from one of the crew members.

“When our team arrived at the scene, they were in the midst of extinguishing the fire.

“The fire was put under control at 10.38am,” he said.

Mohd Zabidi said the fire probably started at the bridge before spreading to the passenger area.

“About 30% of the boat was damaged. Luckily, no one was injured.

“We’re still investigating the cause of the fire,” he said, adding that 21 firemen were involved in the firefighting mission.

A witness, Edward Lim, in his 30s, said the ferry had berthed at the jetty for repair since a week ago.

“The ferry was plying between Kuah and Pulau Payar to carry out diving and snorkelling activities,” he said.

It was the second fire involving a passenger ferry in less than two weeks.

On March 23, a fire destroyed a passenger ferry under repair at Tanjung Limbung Port, Bukit Malut in Langkawi.