At Least Five Killed, 41 Missing After Ferry Fire Off Indonesia’s Madura Island

At Least Five Killed, 41 Missing After Ferry Fire Off Indonesia’s Madura Island
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At least five people have died and 41 others remain missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura Island, authorities said, as search and rescue teams continue efforts to locate survivors.

The ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2 was carrying 271 people, including 232 passengers and 39 crew members, when the blaze broke out on Sunday morning while the vessel was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said the ferry operator reported the fire about an hour after it started, following a distress call from the ship’s captain. Contact with the vessel was later lost, before authorities identified its location approximately 19 nautical miles (35 kilometers) north of Buruan Sapudi Island.

Footage released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke rising from the burning ferry as passengers wearing life jackets gathered on the deck awaiting rescue. Videos shared on social media appeared to show passengers fleeing the flames, with some jumping into the sea.

By Sunday afternoon, nearby vessels had rescued 225 passengers and crew members and recovered five bodies, while 41 people remained unaccounted for. Rescue operations continued with support from additional vessels, including an Indonesian navy ship.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Maritime accidents remain a recurring concern in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, where safety challenges and unpredictable weather conditions often complicate sea travel.