Terrified passengers leap off ferry packed with tourist backpackers after fire breaks out while travelling to Thailand’s ‘Death Island’

Terrified passengers were seen leaping off a ferry engulfed in flames as the vessel made its way to Thailand’s notorious ‘Death Island’ this morning.

The overnight The Ko Jaroen 2 ferry from Surat Thani province was about to arrive at Koh Tao, a popular tourist destination off the Thai coast, before it went up in smoke at around 6.30am local time.

Horror footage captured the moments after the blaze erupted, sending panicked tourists to the roof of the vessel as they desperately awaited rescue.

Some even made the brave jump overboard in a bid to escape the inferno.

At the time of the incident, 108 people were on board the ferry before one ‘heard a crackling sound and smelled smoke’.

Thick smoke was seen billowing into the air following the blaze 

People scrambled to the top deck to escape the flames. Some reportedly jumped off the ferry before rescue teams arrived

Maitree Promjampa said he saw billowing smoke and fire less than five minutes later, and that was when people started shouting and rang the alarm.

‘We could barely get the life vests in time,’ he said.

‘It was chaotic. People were weeping… I also teared up.’

In heart-stopping footage, thick clouds of grey smoke could be seen billowing skywards as orange flames took over the bow of the ship.

Terrified passengers could be seen climbing up the rails to reach the highest point of the ferry as they attempted to dodge the heavy smoke and spreading fire.

Some were wearing life-jackets while others braved the fire in just their swimming gear while they watched out at sea for any signs of emergency rescue services.

Maitree, a Surat Thani resident who often travels to Koh Tao for work, said several boats came to their rescue around 20 minutes after they called for help, but the boats could not get too close to the ferry out of fear of explosions.

This resulted in people deciding to leap off into the water in the race against time to save themselves. 

As police and coast guards arrived at the scene, they could be seen spraying the blackened ship with water as the smoke began to settle – revealing charred metal and a hollowed out interior.     

The emergency services saved the 97 tourists and 11 crew members onboard before the fire swallowed the ferry’s bow. 

Police Colonel Chokchai Sutthimek, superintendent of the Koh Tao Police Station, said: ‘The vessel involved was the Ko Jaroen 2, a night ferry that also serves as a cargo boat. It was bound for Koh Tao and left the pier from Surat Thani at 11 pm last night.’

Police and coast guards saved all 108 passengers – including travellers and crew 

The fire reportedly broke out in the engine but an investigation into the cause is still ongoing

All of the passengers were safe but some suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation

‘At the time of the incident, there were 97 passengers, including Thai and foreign nationals, as well as 11 Burmese boat crew, along with cargo onboard.

‘The fire originated in the engine room while the boat was mid-sea and approaching the pier at Koh Tao, causing panic among passengers, some of whom jumped overboard.

‘After receiving the report from authorities and boat operators at Koh Tao, we swiftly dispatched a rescue boat to evacuate all passengers and crew back to the coast.

‘Some of them suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.’

Other videos of the incident showed the ferry was also carrying several vehicles.

Koh Tao was dubbed Death Island following the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014.

Previous cases of tourist deaths emerged and there have been several unexplained deaths of tourists since, leading to the island being branded ‘cursed’.