Five dead, 225 rescued after Indonesian ferry catches fire

An Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire Sunday off the coast of Madura Island, killing at least 5 people and leaving 41 others missing as rescuers and nearby vessels scrambled to evacuate passengers from the burning ship.

The Mutiara Sentosa 2 was sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city in East Java, to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. in waters off Sumenep, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas.

The ferry had 232 passengers and 39 crew members aboard.

The operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, notified the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour after the fire began, saying the captain had reported a blaze near the northern tip of Madura Island. Contact with the ferry was subsequently lost, Basarnas said.

Authorities later established the ferry's location at about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi Island after communicating with the Meratus Project 3, a nearby cargo vessel. The cargo ship was unable to approach the ferry because it was carrying flammable material.

Dramatic footage released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke pouring from one side of the ferry and spreading across the vessel. Videos circulating on social media showed passengers wearing life jackets packed onto the deck and upper sections of the ship as flames and smoke engulfed parts of the vessel. Some passengers were seen jumping into the sea.

225 people rescued

At least 225 people have been rescued, while search teams continue looking for the 41 people still unaccounted for. Indonesian naval and civilian vessels have joined the operation.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The disaster comes amid renewed scrutiny of maritime safety in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a crucial form of transportation. A separate Indonesian ferry fire in July 2025 killed at least five people, highlighting persistent concerns over passenger-ship safety.

The agency said the ferry was carrying 271 passengers and crew members, of whom 225 have been rescued.

Search and rescue operations are continuing.

Highlights / latest update

• At least five people are dead and 41 remain missing after the Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire off Indonesia's Madura Island.

• 225 people have reportedly been rescued, according to the latest reports, with rescue operations continuing.

• The ferry was carrying 271 people — 232 passengers and 39 crew — on a voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi.

• The fire broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday in waters off Sumenep, near Madura Island, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas.

• Passengers were seen crowding upper decks in life jackets, while some reportedly jumped into the sea to escape the flames and dense smoke.

• A nearby cargo ship, Meratus Project 3, located the burning ferry but could not approach closely because it was carrying a flammable cargo.

• Indonesia's Navy and other vessels joined the evacuation and search effort as authorities expanded the rescue operation.

• The cause of the fire remains unknown and is expected to be investigated after the rescue operation.