Five dead, 41 missing after Indonesian ferry catches fire

In a tragic incident on Sunday, an Indonesian ferry en route from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi caught fire at sea, resulting in five fatalities and 41 people reported missing. The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, confirmed that 225 passengers had been successfully rescued. Some daring individuals leapt into the sea, where they were subsequently picked up by a passing vessel.

Four additional rescue ships were in close proximity but were unable to come closer due to the hazardous presence of flammable materials aboard the burning ferry, as stated by Basarnas.

A larger-scale rescue operation is en route to the incident site from Surabaya, a six-hour journey away. According to Muhammad Masyhud, a senior official at the Ministry of Transportation, passengers are currently awaiting evacuation by nearby vessels near the incident site. The safety of all those on board remains the utmost priority, and efforts are being made in coordination with all relevant parties to ensure a swift, secure, and efficient evacuation process, as emphasized by Masyhud.