Indonesia Ferry Fire Kills 5, Leaves 41 Missing Off Madura

Five people have died and 41 remain missing after the Indonesian passenger ferry KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire in waters off Madura island, disaster officials confirmed Sunday.

The vessel, carrying 271 people, was sailing from Surabaya — Indonesia's second-largest city in East Java — to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the blaze broke out. The fire reportedly started between 06:00 and 07:00 local time (23:00–00:00 GMT Saturday).

Rescue Operation Under Way

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, received the emergency alert at 08:24 local time from the Surabaya Search and Rescue office. The agency confirmed the ferry was nearly entirely engulfed in flames while passengers crowded onto the bow and bridge to await evacuation.

Footage broadcast by Indonesian news outlet iNews showed passengers in life jackets crowding lifeboats, while other clips captured people descending ropes from the burning vessel as flames and thick plumes of smoke rose from the upper decks. Basarnas published updates on social media as the rescue effort progressed.

Dozens Still Unaccounted For

Search and rescue teams were mobilised to locate the 41 missing passengers and crew. The cause of the fire has not been officially determined. Indonesia's vast archipelago relies heavily on ferry services for inter-island travel, and the country has suffered a number of serious maritime accidents in recent years due to ageing vessels and high passenger volumes.