Karangasem. – Five crew members from the tanker ship Elisabeth were found dead, suspected to have been caused by a fire in the waters off Gili Topekong, Karangasem Regency, Bali, on Wednesday.

"Five people died, and the others suffered burns," said I Gede Sukadana, Head of Public Relations at the Karangasem Police Department, on Wednesday.

The deceased victims were identified as Joko, Ismail, Riski, Syahlan, and Faturahman. All five were mechanics working in the ship's engine room.

Meanwhile, 12 others who were taken to Graha Bakti Hospital in Klungkung sustained minor injuries. They are Predy, Wahrudin, Amirul Raihan, Diva Ismah, Sigio Ditex, Amar, Renaldy, Zulfokar, Rival Arief, Robinson Pardamaian, Evtrika Ambara Sari, and Risky Wulandari.

Three others, Fadli, Mochamad Saiful, and Edwin Pratama, were taken to Sanglah General Hospital with burns exceeding 80 percent. The ship's captain escaped the incident unscathed.

Sukadana explained that the fire incident occurred on Wednesday, at around 03:00 a.m. Bali time in Gili Topekong, Karangasem. Initially, at around 01:18 a.m., the Elisabeth was sailing to deliver fuel to Badas, Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara.

Approximately one hour into the journey, or one mile from Tepekong Island, Karangasem, the ship's captain heard an explosion on the left side of the crew's quarters.

The captain opened the ship's door and went below deck to assess the situation. Upon returning to the bridge, he saw many crew members suffering from burns.

"The ship then became immobile, and the captain requested assistance from the Tanjung Manggis operations center. A second explosion occurred afterward. Upon inspection, a fire was found in the engine room," Sukadana said.

As all crew members gathered at the master station, five individuals were missing. They were later confirmed deceased.

The Karangasem Police Marine and Air Unit, Basarnas, Padangbai Port Authority, and state-owned oil company Pertamina were involved in evacuating the victims.

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