Ferry fire off Madura Island leaves 5 dead and 41 missing

At least 5 people have died and 41 remain missing after the Indonesian ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire off Madura Island, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation involving multiple vessels.

The ferry, carrying ~250 passengers and crew, had departed Surabaya and was bound for Makassar when the ship's master reported a fire several hours into the voyage. According to Indonesia's search and rescue authorities, the incident occurred north of the Sapudi Islands.

Video footage from the scene showed thick black smoke rising from the vessel as emergency responders worked to evacuate those on board. Passengers and cargo were transferred to assisting vessels, while rescue operations continued. Authorities reported that, by late Sunday morning, around 40 people were still aboard the ferry as evacuation efforts progressed.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation stated that ensuring the safety of passengers and crew remained the highest priority and indicated that it was coordinating with all relevant agencies to support the evacuation and emergency response.

Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferry services for domestic transportation. Maritime accidents involving passenger ferries continue to occur, with investigators frequently citing issues such as inadequate safety standards, vessel overloading and insufficient life-saving equipment as contributing factors in past incidents.