A ferry disaster in Indonesia has turned into a massive rescue operation, and the details keep getting more heartbreaking the more information comes out.
The ferry involved is called Mutiara Sentosa 2, and it was traveling from Surabaya, a big city in East Java, all the way to Makassar in South Sulawesi. That’s normally a long trip, taking around 40 hours to complete, and a lot of regular travelers and cargo depend on this route to get between the islands.
Early Sunday morning, somewhere between 6 and 7 a.m. local time, the ferry caught fire while out at sea near Sumenep regency. At the time, there were more than 270 people on board, based on passenger and crew records. As the fire spread, passengers were seen gathering on the upper decks wearing life jackets, waiting to be rescued, while thick black smoke poured out from the vessel.
Because the ferry was so far from shore, help took time to arrive. A rescue boat was sent out from Surabaya, but officials said it could take several hours to reach the scene. Thankfully, nearby ships and a passing tugboat moved in first and started pulling people to safety before official rescue teams even arrived. The Indonesian Navy also sent a ship to help with the operation.
By the time rescue efforts wrapped up for the day, over 225 passengers and crew members had been saved. Sadly, at least five bodies were recovered, and dozens of people remain unaccounted for. Officials say the exact number of missing is still unclear, partly because more people were on board than what the original passenger list showed. Families of missing passengers have been coming forward to help authorities figure out who’s still missing.
So far, nobody knows exactly what caused the fire. One survivor mentioned that the flames seemed to start from a truck on the lower deck, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed. Investigators are still looking into it.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in Indonesia. The country has more than 17,000 islands, and ferries are a huge part of everyday transportation for millions of people. But over the years, there have been several similar ferry fires and accidents, and many of them have been linked to weak safety regulations or overcrowded boats not matching official passenger records.
Right now, search and rescue teams are continuing their work, hoping to find more survivors. The story is still developing, and authorities have promised updates as more information becomes available.
(Sources: Basarnas, AP, Al Jazeera)
