Bali ferry blast kills two, injures several

An explosion on a ferry carrying 35 tourists between the Indonesian resort islands of Bali and Lombok killed two people on Thursday and injured several more, police said.

The nationalities of the tourists involved was still unclear, the police said, correcting an earlier description of the two dead as being a Dutch citizen and an Indonesian national. "Up to now, two people have died, but I don't know the details of their identities," said district police chief Sugeng, who uses only one name, like many Indonesians.

Several injured tourists were being treated in hospitals. Police denied reports there was a bomb on board the ferry, saying instead that they suspected a gas cylinder explosion. "We confirm there was no bomb on board," Sugeng said. "The explosion happened because of...a gas cylinder close to the engine."

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