Indonesia Ferry Blast Kills Two
An explosion on a speedboat carrying 35 foreign passengers and four crew members in Bali, Indonesia has left two people dead and 18 other tourists injured.
According to the local police, the boat was ferrying tourists from Bali to Lombok and exploded enroute, leaving two people dead and 13 others injured.
According to AFP, an Austrian woman was killed along with a second female foreigner, whose nationality was still being verified. Two German citizens were injured while nationals from Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Spain were also among the passengers.
It appeared to be an accident with the explosion occurring in the fuel tank. Indonesia has a poor maritime safety record and regularly suffers fatal boat accidents.
The bomb squad was initially deployed to the scene on an island that has suffered bloody Islamist militant attacks in the past, but authorities quickly ruled out an attack.
“The explosion came from the fuel tanks in the engine room and was not caused by a bomb”, said said police investigator, Karang Asem.
Indonesia has a poor maritime safety record and there have been similar incidents in the past where no foul play was detected.