At least five individuals have lost their lives, and 41 individuals are currently unaccounted for following a blaze that broke out on a ferry carrying a large number of passengers in the waters near Indonesia.
A significant search and rescue operation is in progress, with emergency crews dispatched on boats to assist in the evacuation of both passengers and crew from the ferry.
The fire is believed to have ignited shortly after the Mutiara Sentosa 2 departed from a port in Surabaya en route to Makassar, with a total of 285 passengers and crew on board.
The ship’s captain alerted authorities to the fire incident near Madura island as the vessel was sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Basarnas shared a video on TikTok, confirming that the Surabaya Search and Rescue office was notified at 8:24 am local time about the fire on the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2. The fire was reported to have occurred between 6:00-7:00 am local time.
Passengers were reported to have clung to the ship’s bridge and bow while awaiting rescue, as the vessel was almost entirely engulfed in flames. The initial passenger count was around 285 individuals, comprising 37 crew members and 248 passengers. The rescue efforts were complicated by the ferry carrying flammable cargo.
Distressing visuals captured thick black smoke billowing from the upper decks and passengers leaping into the sea to escape the fire.
Several ships in the vicinity rushed to aid in rescuing individuals from the water, while Basarnas dispatched a rescue vessel that had an estimated six-hour journey to reach the location.
Nanang Sigit, the head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Office, stated that vessels including TB Hasnur 26 and the British Mentor were involved in evacuating passengers who had leaped from the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2, with four vessels now positioned alongside the ferry.
