Five people died and another 41 are still being searched for this Sunday in Indonesia after a fire broke out on a ferry with more than 200 passengers in the middle of the sea in the East Java province, about 700 kilometers east of Jakarta, authorities from the archipelago reported.
Indonesia’s emergency services explained that until 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT) the aid teams deployed in the area, near the island of Madura, had confirmed the death of five people who were on board the Mutiara Sentosa 2 and the rescue of another 225 alive.
Additionally, in the same reports sent to journalists, rescuers estimated that 41 people had not yet been rescued, while the flames continued to consume the huge vessel, as shown in images released by the Asian country’s Ministry of Transportation.
225 people have been rescued alive, according to emergency services
In a press release, the government indicated that the ship was sailing from Surabaya to Makassar when it detected the fire that spread over much of the vessel, from which some people jumped into the water, according to videos published by the rescuers.
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Some of these survivors swam to the six boats that approached the disaster area, where they are still trying to rescue the rest of the passengers and crew, with the causes of the fire not yet clear. So far, the passenger list of the Mutiara Sentosa 2, which covered a route mostly used by Indonesians residing in East Java, has not been published.
Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia due to poor infrastructure, passenger and cargo overloading, lax enforcement of safety regulations, and adverse weather conditions.
In July 2025, another ferry with 580 people on board caught fire in the North Sulawesi province, an incident that left three dead and caused dozens of passengers to jump into the sea to escape the flames.
