LANGKAWI, Feb 26 — Police have opened a preliminary investigation paper in connection with the fire on the ferry here yesterday to identify the cause of the incident at 2.40pm yesterday that almost claimed 58 lives.

Langkawi police chief Supt Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim, however, said they were still waiting for a formal report from the Fire and Rescue Department which will carry out a forensic investigation on the ferry.

“We have to wait for the full report from the fire department which will be released officially that will determine whether there are other criminal elements and treason involved in the cause of the fire,” he told Bernama when met at the Kuah passenger ferry terminal, here yesterday.

Commenting on the incident, Mohd Iqbal said he received a call from one of the passengers on the ferry who told him that the ferry was on fire.

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Based on the information, the police deployed a marine police team with two boats to assist the passenger ferry travelling from Langkawi to Kuala Perlis.

“The scene of the incident was 500 metres from the jetty. The ferry was just moving from the jetty at 2.30pm and at 2.40pm a fire erupted in the engine room.

 

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“All the 58 passengers, including five crew members and the captain were rescued,” he said.

Mohd Iqbal said all the victims were taken to the Kuah jetty, and had just arrived when two people experienced shortness of breath because of excessive smoke inhalation and were rushed to the Sultanah Maliha Hospital, here.

He said most of the passengers had boarded the ferry provided by the office of the Langkawi member of Parliament to return to Kuala Perlis at 6pm yesterday. — Bernama