New Delhi: At least five people have died and 41 remain missing after an Indonesian passenger ferry caught fire off Madura Island on Sunday, authorities said. Rescue teams have so far saved 225 of the 271 people who were on board the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2.
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the fire broke out early on Sunday morning. Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said the blaze started between 6am and 7am local time in waters off Sumenep Regency, citing information provided by the ferry operator. The vessel was carrying 232 passengers and 39 crew members.
According to Basarnas, the captain informed the shipping company about the fire shortly after it began. Officials later lost contact with him. The agency said the ferry was almost completely engulfed in flames, leaving passengers stranded near the bridge and bow as they waited to be rescued.
Videos released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke billowing from the vessel as passengers wearing life jackets climbed down its sides or jumped into the sea. Rescue crews and nearby ships threw lifebuoys to people in the water before pulling them aboard.
Several nearby vessels joined the rescue operation. Four ships initially remained at a safe distance because of the risk posed by flammable material on board, while a larger rescue team was dispatched from Surabaya, about six hours away.
Indonesia’s ministry of transportation said the safety of passengers and crew remained its top priority and that it was coordinating with all relevant agencies to complete the evacuation. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
The incident also recalls a similar tragedy involving the same operator. In 2017, a sister vessel, KM Mutiara Sentosa 1, caught fire on the same Surabaya-Makassar route, killing five people and leaving 28 others missing.
Marine accidents are relatively common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries serve as a key mode of transport. Investigators and safety experts have repeatedly pointed to overcrowding, inadequate safety equipment and weak enforcement of maritime regulations as recurring factors in such disasters.
Search and rescue operations for the missing passengers were continuing at the time of publication.