Irish tourists caught up in explosion on boat in Bali

Two Irish people are understood to have been on board a tourist boat in Bali which was hit by an explosion on Thursday.

Initial reports from local police said the ferry carrying 35 tourists between the Indonesian resort islands of Bali and Lombok on Thursday killed two people, an Indonesian and a Dutch national, and injured 13.

However, subsequent reports from the scene said a German woman was killed in the blast and 20 people were injured when the ferry blew up near a port in the east of the island. It added that more than 40 people were on board the Gili Cat 2 ferry.

The Irish tourists on board the boat are not believed to have been injured in the blast.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said they were aware of the incident but there had been no request for consular assistance. He added that there was “no immediate concern for any Irish citizens” caught up in the incident but that department officials would be available to assist if required.

All the passengers on board the ferry were evacuated with the injured being treated at a local medical centre, Karangasem police chief Bambang Sudarso told reporters.

“One of the passengers died from bad injuries after being hit by boat debris that also caused injuries in others,” he said. There were unconfirmed reports that a second person had died.

The boat was travelling to the small island of Gili Trawangan, off neighbouring Lombok, and was carrying tourists from the Republic of Ireland, Britain, Australia, Germany, France and South Korea.

Police are now questioning the boat’s captain.

Images circulated on social media appeared to show bloodied passengers in lifeboats and others being helped by crew and locals on the Indonesian island.

The UK foreign office said it is assisting British holidaymakers affected by the explosion.

A faulty battery may have sparked the blast, which happened just 200 metres from the departure port of Padang Bai harbour, reports suggested.

Bali and neighbouring Lombok are two of Indonesia’s most popular holiday destinations.

Additional reporting from Agencies