Fire aboard Indonesian ferry kills five, leaves dozens missing

A ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off the northern tip of Madura island on Sunday, killing at least five and leaving dozens missing, Indonesian authorities said. The vessel, Mutiara Sentosa 2, was en route from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi with 232 passengers, 39 crew members and a load of vehicles when the blaze broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

The ferry’s operator reported the incident to the Surabaya search-and-rescue office about an hour later. By mid-morning the ship was located roughly 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after contact with a nearby cargo vessel, which could not approach closely because of its own flammable cargo.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from one side of the ferry, and passengers wearing life jackets gathered on the deck and upper sections awaiting rescue. A tugboat and another passing vessel began evacuating people shortly before 10 a.m.

By the evening, rescue vessels had saved 227 passengers and crew and recovered five bodies; 39 individuals remained missing. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

"Someone came up from the lower deck and told us there was a fire. When we went down to check, two vehicles were already burning," survivor Ahmad Abdul Karim said, adding that the flames spread quickly and passengers were instructed to move to the bow.

Rescue efforts included a vessel dispatched from Surabaya, a rigid inflatable boat from Sumenep that returned due to rough seas, and a navy warship deployed to assist. The 160-meter ferry, built in Japan in 1992 and formerly operating on a Japanese route, has been serving the Surabaya-Makassar line since 2015.

Indonesia’s extensive archipelago relies heavily on ferry transport, and accidents involving such vessels occur with some frequency.