Ferry Fire Near Bali Leads to Rescue and Investigation

Rescue teams in Indonesia saved 211 people and recovered the body of a passenger from a ferry that caught fire near Bali. The ferry Putri Yasmin was traveling from Bali to Lombok when the fire started early in the morning. It carried 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.

The Search and Rescue Agency in Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat’s capital, received an emergency call and quickly deployed rescue personnel and boats. “Our highest priority is ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, the agency’s director.

Videos showed people in life jackets crowded in a raft during turbulent sea conditions as thick black smoke rose from the ferry. By Wednesday afternoon, rescuers evacuated 211 people, including two Australian tourists, and recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman.

The initial reports noted 131 people were on board, according to the ferry’s manifest. However, authorities later found more people were aboard than recorded. Indonesia frequently faces discrepancies between passenger numbers and manifests. The Transport Minister, Dudy Purwagandhi, vowed to investigate the inconsistency.

“The findings will be thoroughly reviewed as part of the ministry’s assessment,” Purwagandhi stated. Investigations are underway to determine the fire’s cause. Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority, mentioned survivors said the fire seemed to start in a truck and spread rapidly. The heat forced some passengers to jump into the sea.

“The response operation continues, and authorities are still accounting for all victims,” Syamsurizal noted, using only his single name as is common in Indonesia. At least two injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital.

The rescue operation involved six ships, a helicopter, two inflatable boats, and two private yachts. The rough sea conditions, with waves up to 4 meters (13 feet), challenged rescue efforts, Hariyadi added.

This incident occurred less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off the main island of Java, resulting in at least five deaths. Ferries are a common transportation mode across Indonesia’s over 17,000 islands, though safety standards are often poorly enforced, leading to frequent disasters.