- The ferry Ko Jaroen 2 went up in smoke around 6:30 am local time
- There were 108 passengers on board the ferry at the time of the incident
- The fire reportedly started in the engine room but remains under investigation
Terrified passengers were seen jumping from a ferry engulfed in flames this morning as the ship headed to Thailand’s infamous ‘Death Island’.
The Ko Jaroen 2 ferry from Surat Thani province was about to arrive at Koh Tao, a popular tourist destination off the Thai coast, before it went up in smoke around 6:30 am local time.
Horror footage captured the moments after the fire broke out, sending panicked tourists to the roof of the ship as they desperately waited for rescue.
Some even had the brave jump overboard in an attempt to escape the inferno.
At the time of the incident, there were 108 people on board the ferry before anyone “heard a crackling noise and smelled smoke.”
The Ko Jaroen 2 ferry caught fire this morning as it headed to Ko Toh – named ‘Death Island’
After the fire, thick smoke was seen billowing into the sky
People scrambled to the upper deck to escape the flames. Some reportedly jumped from the ferry before rescue teams arrived
Maitree Promjampa said he saw smoke and fire less than five minutes later, and that’s when people started shouting and raising the alarm.
“We could barely get the life jackets in time,” he said.
‘It was chaotic. People were crying… I had tears too.”
Heartbreaking footage showed thick clouds of gray smoke billowing towards the sky as orange flames took over the ship’s bow.
Terrified passengers were seen climbing the rails to reach the highest point of the ferry as they tried to avoid the heavy smoke and spread the fire.
Some wore life jackets, while others braved the blaze in just their swimming suits as they watched for signs of emergency services at sea.
Maitree, a Surat Thani resident who often travels to Koh Tao for work, said several boats came to their aid about 20 minutes after they called for help, but the boats could not get too close to the ferry for fear of explosions .
This resulted in people deciding to jump into the water in a race against time to save themselves.
When police and coastguards arrived on the scene, they were seen spraying the blackened ship with water as the smoke began to recede, revealing charred metal and a hollowed-out interior.
Emergency services rescued the 97 tourists and 11 crew members on board before the fire engulfed the bow of the ferry.
Police Colonel Chokchai Sutthimek, Chief Inspector of Koh Tao Police Station, said: “The vessel involved was the Ko Jaroen 2, a night ferry that also serves as a cargo boat. It was heading to Koh Tao and left the pier from Surat Thani last night at 11pm.”
Police and coast guards rescued all 108 passengers, including travelers and crew
A fire has reportedly broken out in the engine, but the cause is still under investigation
All passengers were safe, but some suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation
‘At the time of the incident, there were 97 passengers, including Thai and foreign nationals, as well as eleven Burmese crew members, along with cargo on board.
‘The fire started in the engine room while the boat was in the middle of the sea approaching Koh Tao pier, causing panic among the passengers, some of whom jumped overboard.
“After receiving the report from authorities and boat operators on Koh Tao, we quickly dispatched a rescue boat to evacuate all passengers and crew back to shore.
“Some of them suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.”
Other videos of the incident showed the ferry also carrying several vehicles.
Koh Tao was named Death Island after the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014.
Previous cases of tourist deaths emerged and since then there have been several unexplained tourist deaths, leading to the island being branded ‘cursed’.
