A passenger ship, KM Barcelona 5, caught fire on Sunday afternoon, 20 July 2025, while sailing in North Minahasa waters near Talise Island, North Sulawesi. The vessel was travelling from Lirung to Manado, carrying hundreds of passengers, when it encountered a serious onboard fire around 14:00 WITA.
The Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST) of the Ministry of Transportation confirmed that the incident occurred at coordinates 01°48.510’N/125°00.701’E, located to the east of Talise Island.
“The incident occurred at the coordinate position 01°48.510’N ‘ N/125°00.701’E (east of Talise Island). The ship was on a voyage from Lirung to Manado,” explained Director General of Sea Transportation, Muhammad Masyhud, on Sunday.
@aljazeeraenglish Video shows people jumping into the sea as fire engulfs a passenger ship, the KM Barcelona VA, in #Indonesia. The national search and rescue agency has begun evacuating the burning vessel near Talise Island, in North Sulawesi Province. #news ♬ original sound – Al Jazeera English
According to preliminary reports, the fire was suspected to have originated from the upper deck. Smoke was seen billowing from the vessel as passengers—ranging from children to elderly individuals—evacuated in panic, jumping into the sea to save themselves.
The Commander of the Republic of Indonesia Fleet Command (Pangkoarmada RI), Rear Admiral Denih Hendrata, confirmed that all passengers were evacuated. “It is confirmed that all victims have been evacuated,” said Hendrata to ANTARA in Jakarta.
Spokesperson for the Manado SAR Office, Nuriyadin Gumelang, stated that the fire was first reported to Basarnas at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time, and that the wreckage of KM Barcelona 5 remained inaccessible as of Sunday evening. “We are still on standby at Minte Harbour and have opened an information post for the families of passengers. All related elements are helping the process of identifying and collecting data on the victims,” he said.
Five Fatalities Confirmed, Victims Include Pregnant Woman and Child. Rescue Incident Reported
According to First Admiral May Franky Pasuna Sihombing, Commander of Naval Base VIII Manado, a total of 280 passengers were evacuated by joint SAR teams. Among them, three fatalities were initially reported. “For the time being, out of the 280 people, three people died, but the information is due to illness, not because they were burned,” he stated.
Later confirmation from the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) revealed that five passengers had died. Three of them were identified: Hugu Majuntu, who had a history of epilepsy and stroke; Betrivia Malimbulun, who was 37–38 weeks pregnant and experienced pregnancy complications; and Daniel Lena, who suffered a heart attack (diagnosed as inferior STEMI). Two victims remain unidentified.
“Five people were reported dead, two of whom have not been identified,” said Head of Bakamla Central Zone, Admiral Teguh Prasetya, in a written statement quoted by CNN Indonesia.
A dramatic moment from the evacuation was captured on video and circulated by local SAR teams. It showed a woman crying for help while holding a toddler in the open sea. A male passenger, wearing a life jacket, approached and carried the crying child, keeping both afloat amid the waves. “Adek is safe, adek is safe, don’t cry,” he was heard saying while swimming away from the burning ship.
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Other passengers were seen floating nearby using orange buoys, awaiting rescue as black smoke continued to rise from the burning vessel.
KM Barcelona 5 routinely services routes between Manado, Tahuna, Talaud, and other islands. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire and are working to identify all victims and confirm whether any passengers remain unaccounted for.
