Indonesian Ferry Fire Results in Casualties and Missing Persons

Video footage released by BASARNAS shows smoke billowing from the passenger ship Mutiara Santosa 2 after catching fire off Madura Island, Indonesia.

Incident Details

The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry, carrying 271 people, caught fire on Sunday morning around 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. in waters off the main island of Java. The fire resulted in at least five deaths and numerous missing individuals as rescuers and nearby vessels evacuated passengers from the burning ship.

The vessel was en route from Surabaya, East Java, to Makassar, South Sulawesi, carrying 232 passengers, 39 crew members, and 181 vehicles, including trucks and an excavator. The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, also known as BASARNAS, cited information from the ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran.

Efforts and Challenges

BASARNAS received the initial alert about the fire around an hour after the incident began. According to their statement, contact was lost after the captain reported the fire near Madura Island’s northern tip. By 9:45 a.m., authorities located the ferry 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island. Coordination with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3 was limited due to its flammable load.

Videos circulating on social media depicted terrified passengers in life jackets awaiting rescue on the ship’s deck.

A tugboat and other vessels initiated evacuation efforts shortly before 10 a.m. By the evening, nearby ships rescued 227 individuals and recovered five bodies. However, 39 were still unaccounted for. Investigations into the fire’s cause are ongoing.

Survivor Account

Ahmad Abdul Karim, a survivor, reported that flames seemed to originate from a truck on the lower vehicle deck. “Someone from the lower deck alerted us to the fire. The vehicles were ablaze,” he described. “In less than 30 minutes, everyone moved to the ferry’s bow.”

Surabaya dispatched a rescue vessel expecting a six-hour arrival time. Despite rough conditions, the Indonesian Navy deployed a warship.

Background Information

Built in Japan in 1992 as “Ferry Osaka,” the 160-meter-long vessel changed ownership to Indonesia in 2015. The Surabaya-Makassar route typically lasts 40 hours, primarily serving domestic travelers and cargo between Java and Sulawesi.

Indonesia encompasses over 17,000 islands, making ferries a common travel method. Accidents frequently occur, often attributed to inadequate safety enforcement.