Survivors recall blasts before deadly Indonesian ferry fire

In a tragic incident off Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia, a passenger ferry caught fire shortly after leaving Surabaya, killing five people and prompting many to jump into the sea. The ferry, named Mutiara Sentosa 2, was carrying 236 passengers when it departed from the second-largest city in Indonesia on Sunday morning. According to Nanang Sigit, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, 229 people were rescued alive while five bodies were recovered.

However, the exact number of missing people has fluctuated, with some officials reporting 28 people still missing more than 24 hours later. The fire broke out as passengers were eating breakfast, initially igniting in the information room and sleeping quarters before explosions occurred. Survivor Muhammad Abdul Karim recounted fleeing to the bow of the ferry where he and an elderly man jumped into the sea with life jackets as flames threatened to engulf the vessel.

Despite the risks, rescuers worked tirelessly throughout the night to locate survivors, with most evacuees being taken back to Surabaya, a six-hour boat ride away. Bambang Susilo, who also jumped into the sea, described the frantic moments before the jump and his rescue some seven hours later. Marine accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, often attributed to lax safety standards and unpredictable weather.