Eleven hospitalised after fire engulfs Indonesian ferry carrying 460 people
ELEVEN people were taken to hospital after a passenger ferry carrying 460 people caught fire off Indonesia’s Java coast on Tuesday, prompting an emergency evacuation of all passengers and crew. The KMP Batumandi was approaching Merak Port in Cilegon,...
Eleven individuals were hospitalized following a fire that engulfed a passenger ferry carrying 460 people off the coast of Java, Indonesia, on Tuesday. The evacuation of all 420 passengers and 40 crew members occurred after smoke was spotted near the stern of the KMP Batumandi as it neared Merak Port in Banten province around 4:15pm local time.
The vessel had departed Bakauheni Port at 2:52pm earlier that day. Footage showed flames engulfing the ferry as passengers evacuated. Rescue teams, local fishing boats, port personnel, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, and police worked swiftly to manage the emergency. All those aboard were evacuated safely and taken ashore for assessment, with eleven individuals subsequently hospitalized in Cilegon.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Merak Port serves as a major ferry terminal linking Java and Sumatra across the Sunda Strait. This incident underscores ongoing concerns over ferry safety in Indonesia, where inter-island vessels are essential for transportation. Recent tragedies include a passenger ferry sinking in the Java Sea on September 30, 2026, which resulted in 80 deaths and 55 people still missing, a fire off Madura Island in August that killed five and left 41 passengers missing, and a ferry sinking in the Bali Strait in July, resulting in 19 deaths and 17 people reported missing.
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