Ferry on Fire Off Madura Island

The captain of the ship reported the fire – off Madura island – as the vessel sailed from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Footage played by local Indonesian news outlet iNews shows large numbers of people in life jackets on what appears to be a lifeboat.

Other clips show people climbing down from the ferry that has flames and plumes of smoke coming from the top of the vessel.

Fire Reported Early in the Morning

Basarnas posted a video to its TikTok, with a statement saying at 08:24 (02:24 GMT) the Surabaya Search and Rescue office received information that passenger ship KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 was on fire.

“Based on information from the shipping company, the fire occurred at around 06:00-07:00 (00:00-01:00 GMT),” the agency said.

Later, Basarnas said it got confirmation the ferry “was almost entirely engulfed in flames” as “passengers held on in the ship’s bridge and bow while awaiting rescue.”

Rescue Efforts Ongoing

In some of the footage, people can be seen jumping into the sea, with crowds of people in life jackets gathering and lifebuoys being thrown to some before they are carried into a rescue ship.

The incident highlights the risks involved in maritime travel in the region, particularly with older or poorly maintained vessels.

Local authorities have launched a full-scale search and rescue operation to locate the 41 missing individuals.

Officials have not yet released information on the cause of the fire, which is under investigation.