A blaze at a Bukit Malut shipyard destroyed three ferries, with two drifting out to sea. No casualties were reported in the incident.
ALOR SETAR: Three passenger ferries were destroyed in a fire at a shipyard in Bukit Malut, Langkawi last night.
The Langkawi Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 9.46 pm and arrived at the scene 17 minutes later.
Zone 4 chief Mohd Zamri Abd Ghani said the blaze involved six ferries stationed at the dock.
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Two ferries were 80% destroyed and drifted about 50 metres into the sea, while a third sustained 5% damage.
Three other vessels were saved from the flames, according to a statement today.
One of the burning ferries that had drifted was successfully hauled back to shore with assistance from a fishing boat.
The second drifting ferry could not be towed as water began flooding its rear section.
Firefighters allowed that fire to burn out under monitoring.
A total of 23 firemen from the Persiaran Putra and Langkawi stations were deployed to the site.
Firefighting efforts utilised a single hose stream and two water jets.
No casualties were reported in the incident.
The fire was brought under control at 11.07 pm and fully extinguished by 2.10 am today. – Bernama
