Five people have been found dead and 41 remain missing after an Indonesian ferry carrying 271 passengers caught fire while sailing between Surabaya (East Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi) on Sunday.
According to Basarnas, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, the ferry’s captain phoned the company to report the fire but has not been heard from since.
So far, 225 passengers have been rescued, the Surabaya regional rescue agency confirmed. Some survivors jumped into the sea and were picked up by a nearby vessel.
Four other ships were positioned near the burning ferry but were unable to approach due to the presence of flammable materials onboard, Basarnas said.
A larger rescue operation is now en route from Surabaya, a six‑hour journey to the disaster site. Senior Transportation Ministry official Muhammad Masyhud said passengers were still awaiting evacuation by vessels in the vicinity.
“The safety of passengers and crew is our top priority,” he said, adding that authorities are coordinating closely to ensure the evacuation proceeds “quickly, safely, and effectively.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and search teams continue to comb the area for missing passengers.
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