One dead, 172 rescued after Indonesian ferry from Bali catches fire

A ferry traveling from Bali to Lombok caught fire off the coast of Lombok on Wednesday, resulting in one death and the rescue of 172 passengers, according to Indonesian authorities. The KM Putri Yasmin departed from Padangbai port in Bali for Lembar port in Lombok at 4:39 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the Lombok Strait, and the death toll remains at one Indonesian passenger, while 171 survivors have been evacuated to ports in Bali and Lombok, with one of the survivors being Australian.

Over 200 personnel have been deployed to assist with the evacuation operation. It remains unclear whether overcrowding was a factor in the fire or how it started. Earlier, Padangbai port officials revealed that the ferry's manifest only listed 114 passengers and 17 crew members. Notably, this incident occurs less than a month after another ferry, KM Mutiara Sentosa 2, also caught fire off Madura island, resulting in the deaths of five people.

Both vessels were found to have carried more people than their manifests indicated. With over 17,000 islands, Indonesia heavily relies on ferries as a primary mode of transportation, as air travel is less affordable and readily available. However, safety standards are not consistently enforced, leading to a relatively high rate of accidents.