Rescuers have recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman and evacuated 211 people following a predawn ferry fire in rough seas near the tourist island of Bali, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency. Five people remain unaccounted for as multi-agency recovery operations continue.
Emergency Response and Evacuation Efforts in Choppy Waters
The ferry Putri Yasmin was transiting from Bali to the neighboring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province when flames engulfed the vessel at approximately 4:15 a.m. local time, according to the Mataram Search and Rescue Office. CTV News reported that the ship was carrying 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles alongside its passengers.
Visuals released by the National Search and Rescue Agency depicted passengers in life jackets crowding an inflatable life raft amid choppy conditions while heavy black smoke poured from the burning superstructure. Muhammad Hariyadi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, stated that response teams faced significant operational hurdles due to rough seas featuring waves climbing as high as 4 meters (13 feet).
The rescue operation deployed six vessels, a helicopter, two inflatable boats, and two private yachts. Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority in Lombok, reported that at least two injured survivors required immediate transfer to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Manifest Discrepancies and Ongoing Investigation
According to officials, early reports based on the shipping manifest listed 131 people on board, including 17 crew members, yet rescuers ultimately evacuated 211 individuals.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi addressed the passenger count variance, telling reporters that the findings will undergo rigorous review as part of a ministry evaluation. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Committee have been tasked with determining the root cause of the blaze. Syamsurizal noted that initial accounts from survivors indicate the fire originated in a cargo truck before spreading rapidly across the vessel, generating heat intense enough to force passengers to jump directly into the sea.
Unaccounted Passengers and Port Authority Response
Relatives of those aboard have established a presence at a port command center in Lombok, where officials posted the names of individuals still missing. Search teams confirmed that five family members remain unaccounted for as of Thursday.
Built in Japan in 1992, the 62-meter (203-foot) ferry is rated to carry up to 220 passengers and 55 vehicles on the routine four-to-five-hour crossing between Bali and Lombok. The incident occurs less than two weeks after a separate ferry fire involving the Mutiara Sentosa 2 in waters off Java resulted in at least five fatalities. Indonesian authorities stated that search and rescue operations remain active as agencies work to reconcile final passenger lists and investigate the sequence of events.
