NewzFive people have been found dead and 41 are missing after an Indonesian ferry carrying at least 250 people caught fire while at sea, officials say. The captain of the ship reported the fire – off Madura island – as the vessel sailed from the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya in East Java, to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency. Footage played by local Indonesian news outlet iNews shows large numbers of people in life jackets on what appears to be a lifeboat.
Other clips show people climbing down from the ferry that has flames and plumes of smoke coming from the top of the vessel. Basarnas posted a video to its TikTok, with a statement saying at 08:24 (02:24 GMT) the Surabaya Search and Rescue office received information that passenger ship KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 was on fire. “Based on information from the shipping company, the fire occurred at around 06:00-07:00 (00:00-01:00 GMT).” Later, Basarnas said it got confirmation the ferry “was almost entirely engulfed in flames” as “passengers held on in the ship’s bridge and bow while awaiting rescue”.
In some of the footage, can be seen jumping into the sea, with crowds of people in life jackets gathering and lifebuoys being thrown to some before they are carried into a rescue ship. SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off the main island of Java on Sunday, leaving at least five people dead and dozens missing as rescuers and passing vessels evacuated hundreds from the burning ship, officials said.The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was traveling from Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, with 232 passengers and 39 crew members, when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. in waters off Sumenep regency, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas.The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, reported the incident to the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour later, Basarnas said in a statement.
It said the company received information from the ferry's captain that the vessel was on fire near the northern tip of Madura island, but contact was later lost.By 9:45 a.m., authorities determined the ferry was about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after communicating with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3, which was unable to approach the burning vessel closely because it was carrying a flammable load.Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed thick black smoke billowing from one side of the ferry and spreading across much of the ship while videos circulating on social media and messaging groups showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, could be seen clustered on the deck and upper sections of the vessel awaiting rescue, some jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.The ferry was reported to be nearly engulfed by flames, with passengers gathered on the bridge and bow. A tugboat and another passing vessel moved in and began evacuating passengers shortly before 10 a.m., the statement said.By Sunday afternoon, several nearby vessels managed to rescue 225 passengers and crew and recovered five bodies. At least 41 people remained unaccounted for.The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remained under investigation.Search and rescue teams dispatched a rescue vessel from Surabaya, although officials estimated it would take about six hours to reach the scene.
A rigid inflatable boat from the Sumenep rescue post was sent toward the location but later returned to shore because of rough sea… The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was traveling from Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, with 232 passengers and 39 crew members, when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, reported the incident to the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour later, Basarnas said in a statement.
By 9:45 a.m., authorities determined the ferry was about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after communicating with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3, which was unable to approach the burning vessel closely because it was carrying a flammable load. Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed thick black smoke billowing from one side of the ferry and spreading across much of the ship while videos circulating on social media and messaging groups showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, could be seen clustered on the deck and upper sections of the vessel awaiting rescue, some jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel. The ferry was reported to be nearly engulfed by flames, with passengers gathered on the bridge and bow.
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