At least five people have died and 41 others remain missing after the passenger ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura Island on Sunday, according to Indonesian search and rescue authorities.
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi with 271 people on board, including passengers and crew, when the blaze broke out. Thick smoke and flames quickly spread across the vessel, forcing many passengers to jump into the sea while wearing life jackets.
Rescue teams, supported by the Indonesian Navy and several nearby vessels, have rescued 225 people. Search and rescue operations remain ongoing as authorities continue to look for those still missing.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and an official investigation is underway. The incident has once again highlighted the challenges of maritime safety in Indonesia, an archipelago that relies heavily on ferry transport between its thousands of islands.
