Indonesian rescuers were searching for an unknown number of possible missing passengers Monday after a ferry fire on Sunday claimed at least five lives and necessitated the rescue of 229 others.
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was en route from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, to Makassar when the blaze broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time in waters off the Sumenep regency. Initial reports based on the ship's manifest indicated 232 passengers and 39 crew members were aboard.
However, officials stated Monday that the actual number of individuals on the ferry was higher than documented, complicating efforts to determine how many remain unaccounted for. The Surabaya Search and Rescue Office head, Nanang Sigit, noted that discrepancies between manifest numbers and actual passenger counts are common in Indonesia, often due to overcrowding. This practice can hinder search and rescue operations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. One survivor, Ahmad Abdul Karim, reported that the fire appeared to originate from a truck on the lower vehicle deck. He described flames spreading rapidly, fanned by the wind, leading to an evacuation order to the ferry's bow within 30 minutes.
The vessel was carrying approximately 180 vehicles, including numerous trucks and an excavator. The Mutiara Sentosa 2, built in Japan in 1992, was sold to Indonesia in 2015. It has a capacity for 689 passengers and 49 crew, along with up to 181 vehicles.
Search and rescue teams, including a vessel from Surabaya, navy ships, and passing commercial craft, were deployed to the incident site, located about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Buruan Sapudi island.
The Surabaya-Makassar route is a common passage for domestic travelers and cargo between Java and Sulawesi, with the typical voyage duration around 40 hours. Ferries are a prevalent mode of transportation across Indonesia's vast archipelago, but the region experiences frequent maritime accidents, often attributed to inadequate safety enforcement.