Java ferry fire kills five, leaves 39 missing as hundreds are rescued

Surabaya,UPDATED: Aug 3, 2026 10:08 IST

At least five people died and 39 others were missing after an Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off Java on Sunday, officials said. Hundreds of passengers and crew were evacuated from the burning vessel by rescuers and nearby ships.

The Mutiara Sentosa 2 was on its way from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the fire broke out between 6 am and 7 am, according to Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas. By Sunday evening, 227 passengers and crew had been rescued and five bodies had been recovered.

Basarnas said the ferry was carrying 232 passengers, 39 crew members and 181 vehicles, mostly trucks, along with an excavator. The fire broke out in waters off Sumenep regency. The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, reported the incident to the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour later.

In a statement, Basarnas said the company received information from the ferry's captain that the vessel was on fire near the northern tip of Madura island, but contact was later lost. By 9:45 am, authorities said the ferry was about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after establishing communication with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3, which could not go too close because it was carrying a flammable load.

Footage released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke rising from one side of the ferry and spreading across much of the ship. Videos circulating on social media and messaging groups showed passengers, most of them wearing life jackets, gathered on the deck and upper sections while waiting for rescue. Some were also seen jumping into the sea as flames and smoke spread through the vessel.

Authorities said the ferry was nearly engulfed in flames, with passengers gathered on the bridge and bow. A tugboat and another passing vessel moved in and began evacuating people shortly before 10 am. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remained under investigation.

Ahmad Abdul Karim, one of the survivors, said the fire appeared to have started from a truck on the lower vehicle deck. "Someone came up from the lower deck and told us there was a fire. When we went down to check, two vehicles were already burning," Karim said. "Fanned by the wind, the flames spread extremely quickly. In less than 30 minutes, everyone had been instructed to move to the bow of the ferry."

Search and rescue teams sent a rescue vessel from Surabaya, though officials said it would take about six hours to reach the scene. A rigid inflatable boat from the Sumenep rescue post was also sent but later returned to shore because of rough seas and high waves. The Indonesian Navy deployed a warship to assist in the operation.

The 160-metre-long and 25-metre-wide ferry was built in Japan in 1992 and earlier operated on the Osaka-Shinmoji route as the Ferry Osaka before being sold to Indonesia in 2015. It now serves the Surabaya-Makassar route, a journey that usually takes around 40 hours and is mainly used by domestic travellers and cargo transport between Java and Sulawesi.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are widely used for travel. Accidents are reported regularly, and weak safety enforcement is often blamed. Sunday's fire left at least five people dead, 227 rescued and dozens still unaccounted for.

With PTI Inputs

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