Cambodian police praised the bravery of a ferry captain Monday after he managed to get at least 100 passengers to safety before the boat was consumed with fire and sank.
The ferry was traveling from the eastern Mekong river port of Kampong Cham to Kratie, 340 kilometres north-east of the capital, when a spark from the engine ignited the fuel tank and the ferry burst into flames on Saturday.
Kampong Siem district police chief Pak Cheat said the captain, whose name was not released, remained at the rudder and steered the boat to within metres of the shore, potentially saving scores of lives.
"The captain was the only person on the boat to be really injured. He kept his hand on the rudder and sustained burns to his arm," Cheat said by telephone.
The passengers, mainly Cambodian and ethnic Vietnamese merchants transporting goods up the Mekong, all managed the short swim to shore with nothing more than a few cuts and abrasions, he added.
"This was a thousand to one chance that no one was killed," he said.
Cheat said there were no Western tourists on the ferry. However Kratie has become an increasingly popular tourist destination as the best place in the world to view the critically endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins, particularly in the dry season when the river's water levels drop.
The ferry was traveling from the eastern Mekong river port of Kampong Cham to Kratie, 340 kilometres north-east of the capital, when a spark from the engine ignited the fuel tank and the ferry burst into flames on Saturday.
Kampong Siem district police chief Pak Cheat said the captain, whose name was not released, remained at the rudder and steered the boat to within metres of the shore, potentially saving scores of lives.
"The captain was the only person on the boat to be really injured. He kept his hand on the rudder and sustained burns to his arm," Cheat said by telephone.
The passengers, mainly Cambodian and ethnic Vietnamese merchants transporting goods up the Mekong, all managed the short swim to shore with nothing more than a few cuts and abrasions, he added.
"This was a thousand to one chance that no one was killed," he said.
Cheat said there were no Western tourists on the ferry. However Kratie has become an increasingly popular tourist destination as the best place in the world to view the critically endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins, particularly in the dry season when the river's water levels drop.
1 comment:
Oh damn, there go another business and more jobs lost.
Oh well, nothing is perfect, I hope we can assist our brave captain to get back on his feet again and soon.
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