Rescuers comb waters near Bali for 5 missing after ferry blaze

Rescuers searched the Lombok Strait off Bali on Thursday for five missing passengers after a ferry fire that claimed one life and left dozens clinging to the water's surface. A total of 211 people were rescued alive by vessels, including a navy ship and another ferry, that rushed to the scene on Wednesday. A 19-year-old Indonesian woman was among those confirmed dead.

The search effort then focused on finding the five unaccounted-for passengers, according to a statement from Mataram's search and rescue office on Lombok island. The ferry was en route from Bali to Lombok when it encountered trouble in the early hours of Wednesday. The statement quoted search and rescue official Muhamad Hariyadi as instructing passing ships to assist or alert the command post if they discover any victims.

Survivor Kiky Okta Pradika, 25, recounted grabbing a life jacket before jumping into the water with others. Another survivor, 45-year-old Sutrisna, described passengers frantically searching for life jackets as the ferry capsized amid large waves. The rescue ship's own waves proved even more formidable. Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands relying heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.

Poor safety standards and unpredictable weather are the primary culprits behind such disasters. Five people perished in a ferry fire off Java island last week, while a ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar, a small island in Sulawesi, last month, with 14 people still officially missing.