- The Ko Jaroen 2 ferry went up in smoke around 6:30 local time.
- 108 passengers were on board the ferry at the time of the incident.
- The fire reportedly started in the engine room, but is still being investigated.
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Terrified passengers were seen jumping off a ferry engulfed in flames this morning as the ship headed towards Thailand’s famous ‘Island of Death’.
The night ferry Ko Jaroen 2 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 at around 6.30am local time.
Horror footage captured the moments after the fire broke out, sending terrified tourists to the roof of the ship as they desperately waited for rescue.
Some even made the brave jump overboard in an attempt to escape hell.
At the time of the incident, 108 people were on board the ferry when one of them “heard a cracking noise and smelled smoke.”
The Ko Jaroen 2 ferry caught fire this morning while heading towards Ko Toh, nicknamed ‘Island of Death’
A thick column of smoke was seen rising into the air after the fire.
People climbed to the upper deck to escape the flames. Some reportedly jumped off the ferry before rescuers arrived.
Maitree Promjampa said he saw clouds of smoke and fire less than five minutes later, and that’s when people started shouting and sounding the alarm.
“We could barely get the life jackets in time,” he said.
‘It was chaotic. People were crying… I cried too.’
In heart-stopping images, thick clouds of gray smoke could be seen rising into the sky while orange flames took over the bow of the ship.
Terrified passengers could be seen climbing the rails to reach the highest point of the ferry as they tried to avoid the thick smoke and spreading fire.
Some wore life jackets, while others braved the fire in just their swimsuits as they watched the sea for any sign of emergency rescue services.
Maitree, a Surat Thani resident who often travels to Koh Tao for work, said several boats came to their rescue about 20 minutes after they called for help, but they could not get too close to the ferry for fear of explosions.
This caused people to decide to jump into the water in a race against time to save themselves.
When police and coast guard arrived at the scene, they could be seen spraying the blackened ship with water as the smoke began to clear, revealing charred metal and a hollow interior.
Emergency services saved all 97 tourists and 11 crew on board before the fire engulfed the ferry’s bow.
Police Colonel Chokchai Sutthimek, superintendent of Koh Tao police station, said: “The boat involved was the Ko Jaroen 2, a night ferry that also serves as a cargo ship. It was bound for Koh Tao and left the pier from Surat Thani last night at 11pm.
The police and coast guard saved all 108 passengers, including travelers and crew.
The fire reportedly occurred in the engine, but the cause is still being investigated.
All passengers were safe, but some suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.
“At the time of the incident, there were 97 passengers, including Thais and foreigners, as well as 11 Burmese crew members, along with cargo on board.
“The fire originated in the engine room while the ship was in the middle of the sea and was approaching the Koh Tao dock, causing panic among the passengers, some of whom jumped overboard.
‘After receiving the report from the authorities and ship operators in Koh Tao, we quickly dispatched a rescue ship to evacuate all passengers and crew back to shore.
“Some of them suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.”
Other videos of the incident showed that the ferry was also carrying several vehicles.
Koh Tao was nicknamed Death Island following the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014.
Previous cases of tourist deaths emerged and there have since been several unexplained tourist deaths, leading to the island being branded “cursed”.