One killed in Bali explosion

An explosion on a tourist boat off the Indonesian island of Bali has killed at least one German tourist and injured 19 others, police said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but officials said it was not a bomb.

The boat was carrying 35 passengers, all foreigners, and four crew members, and was headed to the island of Gili Trawangan, the BBC reported.

Indonesia has a poor safety record in ferry services and fatal accidents are common.

The explosion on the Gili Cat 2 boat happened 200m after it departed Padang Bai port in eastern Bali, according to police.

“Based on the testimony [from passengers] and from what I saw on the scene, the explosion came from the fuel tank,” local police chief, Sugeng Sudarso , said.

“Above it was a battery, maybe there was a short circuit that affected the fuel tank.”

He said the passenger died from head injuries.

Among the passengers were 17 Britons and tourists from France, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, AFP reported.

 

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