In an unfortunate incident, the Indonesian ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire in the waters off Madura Island, resulting in at least five fatalities and dozens missing as per officials. The ferry was carrying 271 people, including 232 passengers and 39 crew members, along with 181 vehicles.
Incident Details
The ferry departed from Surabaya in East Java, heading to Makassar in South Sulawesi, when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. This occurred in waters near Sumenep regency as mentioned by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
Emergency Response
The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, alerted the Surabaya search and rescue office shortly after receiving information of the fire from the ferry’s captain. By 9:45 a.m., authorities located the ferry 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island, in coordination with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3. The cargo vessel could not approach closely due to its flammable load.
Visuals from the incident revealed thick black smoke covering much of the ferry. Footage showed passengers, many in life jackets, waiting on deck for rescue. Some leaped into the sea to escape the flames.
Rescue Operations
Efforts to rescue the stranded passengers commenced as a tugboat and another vessel began evacuations around 10 a.m. By the evening, nearby vessels rescued 227 people, but 39 individuals remained missing. The fire’s cause is still under investigation.
A survivor, Ahmad Abdul Karim, recounted how the fire emerged from a truck on the lower vehicle deck. Once fire was spotted, the flames spread rapidly, driven by the wind, forcing everyone to move to the ferry’s bow.
Search and rescue units deployed a vessel from Surabaya, though it was estimated to reach the scene in six hours. A rigid inflatable boat dispatched from Sumenep had to return due to poor sea conditions. The Indonesian Navy also sent a warship to aid in rescue efforts.
Ferry Background
The ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2, built in Japan in 1992, initially operated as the “Ferry Osaka” on the Osaka-Shinmoji route. Sold to Indonesia in 2015, it currently serves a route between Surabaya and Makassar, a journey of approximately 40 hours. The ferry, primarily used for domestic travel and cargo transport, is 160 meters long and 25 meters wide.
Indonesia, comprising over 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries. However, such incidents are common due to inadequate safety measures.
Leave a Reply