At least five people were killed and 41 others remain missing after a fire swept through the Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry off the coast of Indonesia on Sunday. The vessel was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the blaze erupted between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.
The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, reported the incident near the northern tip of Madura island to local authorities about an hour after the fire began. Harrowing footage showed thick black smoke billowing from the ferry as passengers, many in life jackets, gathered on upper decks awaiting rescue. Some individuals were seen jumping into the water to escape the flames.
By Sunday afternoon, nearby vessels had rescued 225 passengers and crew members and recovered five bodies. The identities of those deceased, whether passengers or crew, remain unclear. Search and rescue teams, including a vessel dispatched from Surabaya and a warship from the Indonesian Navy, are continuing efforts to find the 41 individuals still unaccounted for.
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 is typically used for domestic travel and cargo transport between Java and Sulawesi. The cause of Sunday's fire is not yet known.
This incident follows a similar tragedy weeks prior, when at least five people died after the KM Barcelona V-A ferry caught fire while carrying 575 passengers from Melonguane to Manado. Lax safety enforcement in Indonesia, an archipelago nation, is frequently cited as a contributing factor in maritime disasters.