Labuan Bajo (ANTARA) – Satpolairud Police in West Manggarai examined two Canadian tourists who survived the fire of the Carpediem Motor Sailing Boat (KLM) in the waters around Siaba Island in the National Park of Komodo (TNK), east of Nusa Tenggara (NTT). ) Province.

“The examination was carried out to ensure that the victim was in good health and to obtain a brief timeline of the ship fire,” unit head Satpolairud Gakkum of the West Manggarai police said on Saturday, Aipda Gregorius Ang Bere in Labuan Bajo.

He explained that checks were also carried out with the tourist guide who accompanied the victim at the time of the incident as well as the travel agent.

The two victims were a married couple named Kevin Stewart (67) and Maureen Claine (66) who went on a tourist trip to Labuan Bajo for three days from February 2 to 4, 2024.

On the second day of the tour, Saturday (3/2), the tour ship they were traveling on, namely the KLM Adena 02, experienced engine problems, so they had to change ships to the KLM Carpediem in the surrounding waters. Siaba Island, KNP area.

After moving the ship, it turned out that it was on fire. The victims were rescued and evacuated to Labuan Bajo.

“The ship moved around 2:00 p.m. WITA. They had just put their things in the room, the tour guide who was sitting on top of the ship saw the smoke coming from the ship's exhaust and felt strange because it was a different cloud of smoke. The smoke was very thick and black, and suddenly the fire grew bigger. “From the bottom of the ship, he (the tour guide) immediately jumped into the sea, took a lifeboat and. saved the guests,” he said.

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Following the incident, all of the victim's personal belongings as well as immigration documents, including passports, were burned. The material losses suffered by the victim are estimated at around IDR 30 million.

“The guests did not suffer any injuries, but the most important thing is their passport. Later the West Manggarai police will make a report and later they will go to the Bali immigration office, they coordinated with the Bali immigration office so that they can later fly to their home country,” he explained.

Furthermore, both victims accepted the incident as a disaster and wrote a statement not to continue the fire.

“The victim accepted the incident and considers it a disaster, wrote a statement not to complain in the future and the tourist agent replaced all his belongings. In the meantime, we are waiting for the captain of the ship to request a more complete timeline,” he said.

Tourist boat fire victim Maureen Claine, accompanied by her tour guide, Acoi, said she was grateful to have survived the boat fire.

She also appreciated the tour guide and all the people who were seen as quick to save her and her husband.

“So good and we save (Very good and we are safe), said Maureen Claine as she patted Acoi on the shoulder after undergoing an examination in Labuan Bajo.

Acoi said on that occasion that he did not know the cause of the ship's fire. He was pleased that there were no casualties in the incident.

“At the moment everything is fine,” he said.

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