Five dead, 41 missing after ferry fire off Madura Island

At least five people are dead and 41 are missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off the coast of Madura Island in Indonesia on Sunday, August 2, 2026. Search and rescue officials confirmed that 225 of the 271 passengers and crew members aboard the vessel have been rescued, with a major operation still underway to locate those unaccounted for.

The ferry, identified as the KM Mutiara Sentosa 2, was traveling from the city of Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the fire broke out. The captain reported the blaze to the shipping company, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas. The agency stated the fire occurred in the morning, between approximately 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. local time. Subsequent reports indicated the vessel was almost entirely engulfed in flames, forcing many passengers to jump overboard to escape.

Footage from the scene showed large numbers of people wearing life jackets gathered on lifeboats and climbing down from the burning ferry, with thick plumes of smoke visible. Other clips showed individuals being pulled from the sea by nearby ships. Basarnas noted that four other vessels were standing by but could...