Update on Tragedy on Fun Day Out in Hartbeespoort Dam in South Africa

Four people tragically died on Saturday afternoon after a ferry boat on Hartbeespoort Dam (north of Pretoria) in North West, South Africa, caught fire. (Updated Sunday 11h30 SA Time.)

The boat – which reportedly caters for lunch cruises and braais – was carrying about 200 passengers, according to SAMSA (SA Maritime Safety Authority)

The cause of the fire is not yet known and investigations by SAMSA are underway. Early reports in local newspaper Kormorant said it was believed to have broken out in the kitchen and may have been caused by an electrical fault.

However, in reports today, a witness has claimed that somebody dropped a cigarette on deck while the ferry was close to a smaller boat which was refuelling.

According to a statement from SAMSA: “Initial indications are that the vessel named Prime Time, caught fire while cruising on the dam with two hundred passengers on board. According to the SAMSA surveyor who was at the scene, the vessel caught fire at the aft (the back of the vessel) where the kitchen, the bathrooms and the outboard motors (engines) are situated.”

All four fatalities were women. SAMSA said it can confirm only that one passenger died after being trapped in the bathroom during the fire, and that “in an effort to rescue the passengers from the burning vessel one of the smaller vessels took on too many passengers and capsized, leading to the drowning and death of three other passengers.”

Other boats on the Dam had rushed to the scene, bringing fire extinguishers and helping to rescue the ferry passengers and get them back to shore.

SAMSA has launched an initial investigation on the cause of the fire, and will also be investigating the cause of death of the passengers.

Harties Boat Company said Saturday evening: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the loss of 4 lives this afternoon. This however was not one of our cruises nor our boat. We do book this boat occasionally from the company who owns the boat. Our boat Danny Buoy was one of the first boats to arrive at the scene and we rescued about 50 passengers. It’s an unfortunate incident. Until further investigations are concluded we cannot come to any further conclusions.”

Prayers to the families and friends of the 4 women that lost their lives after a boat caught fire in #Hartbeespoortdam 💔🙏 pic.twitter.com/847KExAtvE

— Karabo Mokgoko 🦄🌞 (@Karabo_Mokgoko) November 19, 2016

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