5 killed, dozens missing after blaze breaks out on Indonesia ferry
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was traveling from Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi.
A ferry carrying 271 people caught fire off the coast of Java, Indonesia, on Sunday, resulting in at least five fatalities and dozens still unaccounted for. The Mutiara Sentosa 2, transporting 232 passengers and 39 crew members, was en route from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the fire erupted between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. in waters near Sumenep regency.
PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, the ferry operator, notified the Surabaya search and rescue office of the incident roughly an hour later, though contact was subsequently lost. By 9:45 a.m., authorities estimated the burning vessel to be around 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island. Thick black smoke was reported billowing from a side of the ferry, engulfing much of the ship.
Terrified passengers, many wearing life jackets, were seen on the deck and upper sections of the vessel, awaiting rescue as flames and smoke emanated from the burning ship. A tugboat and another passing vessel began evacuating passengers shortly before 10 a.m., but by Sunday afternoon, 41 people remained missing. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
