Passengers aboard the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 were forced to jump into the sea as thick black smoke billowed from the ferry's top decks, with the vessel almost entirely engulfed in flames. The fire broke out off Madura island, shortly after the ship left Surabaya in East Java en route to Makassar in South Sulawesi.
Five people have died and dozens are missing, prompting a major search and rescue operation by Indonesia's national search and rescue agency, Basarnas. The ferry was carrying 37 crew and 248 passengers, totalling 285 people.
Search and rescue operation
Basarnas said the Surabaya Search and Rescue office was alerted at 8.24am local time after a report from the shipping company. In a statement, it said: "Based on information from the shipping company, the fire occurred at around 06:00-07:00 (00:00-01:00 GMT)."
The agency described how passengers "held on to the ship's bridge and bow while awaiting rescue" and said the vessel was "almost entirely engulfed in flames". The rescue effort was complicated by flammable cargo on board.
At least four ships in the area came to the aid of the ferry, while a Basarnas rescue vessel was dispatched but faced an estimated six-hour journey to reach the location. Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Office, said: "TB Hasnur 26 and the British Mentor are assisting in evacuating passengers who jumped from KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2. Four vessels are now alongside the ferry."
Previous ferry disaster
The incident comes after a fire on a ferry in Indonesia in July last year, when three people were killed and 575 rescued, with two missing. The KM Barcelona V-A caught fire in the sea off North Sulawesi province. Navy First Adm. Franky Pasuna Sihombing said the vessel was making its regular half-day journey between the ports of Melonguane and Manado when it caught fire.
