Ferry carrying suspected COVID-19 patients denied entry in NTT, passengers jump off in panic (Video)
Video footage of passengers jumping off the KM Lambelu ferry in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has gone viral, as the ship was refused permission to dock over suspicions that three crew members had contracted the coronavirus.
Authorities at Lorens Say Port in Maumere, Sikka regency — the ferry’s final destination — yesterday initially rejected KM Lambelu’s request to dock. The hundreds of passengers on board reportedly became restless as they awaited further instructions, with five passengers deciding to escape the chaos by jumping off the ship while holding on to or wearing lifejackets.
A local search and rescue team then helped the five passengers to safety. There were no reports of them suffering any injuries from the steep drop.
Sikka regent Fransiskus Roberto Diogo, who initially refused to allow the ship to dock, slammed the provincial transport agency for allowing the ship to approach the regency in the first place.
“They allowed these people to enter. Do they want to kill us all?” Fransiskus told reporters yesterday, as quoted by Kompas.
However, by the evening, Fransiskus signed off on allowing KM Lambelu to dock at the port on “humanitarian” grounds.
The ferry’s 238 passengers and crew were placed under quarantine, where they will be observed for at least several days.
The three crew members suspected of having COVID-19 had tested positive using the rapid test kit — which is not entirely reliable — and will undergo the more reliable nasal swab test to confirm their conditions.
As of April 7, 2020, NTT and Gorontalo are the only Indonesian provinces without a single confirmed COVID-19 case.
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