JAKARTA, At least five people have been killed and 41 remain missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura Island, according to the country’s search and rescue agency.
Authorities said the ferry was carrying 271 passengers and crew members when the fire broke out on Sunday morning during its voyage from Surabaya in East Java Province to Makassar in South Sulawesi.
The National Search and Rescue Agency said 225 people have been rescued, while search and rescue teams continue efforts to locate those still missing.
Emergency responders, including rescue vessels and other maritime resources, remain engaged in the operation.
Officials have not yet determined what caused the ferry to catch fire.
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An investigation is expected to begin once rescue operations are completed and the vessel can be examined.
Madura Island is located off the northeastern coast of Java, one of Indonesia’s busiest maritime regions where ferries serve as a primary mode of transportation between islands.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, frequently relies on ferry services for inter-island travel, and maritime accidents remain a recurring challenge due to weather conditions, overcrowding, and safety concerns.
