Indonesian authorities rescued 172 people after the passenger ferry KM Putri Yasmin caught fire in the waters of the Lombok Strait. The incident occurred on Wednesday at 4:39 am local time, as the vessel was travelling from the island of Bali to the port of Lembar in Lombok. The ferry had departed from the port of Padangbai in Bali prior to the incident.
According to local rescue chief Muhammad Hariyadi, more than 200 people were deployed for the rescue operation. Numerous vessels were involved in the evacuation of passengers and coordination with other craft at the scene. The rescued individuals were transferred to ports in Bali and Lombok for further assistance and safety.
The death of one person, an Indonesian national, has been confirmed. Among the surviving passengers, one is of Australian descent, while the rest are Indonesians. The search for other missing passengers continues, with services attempting to establish the exact number of people who were on board at the time of the fire.
The cause of the fire is currently unclear, and it has not been determined whether overcrowding was a factor in the incident. Padangbai port official Heri Wiyanto stated that only 114 passengers and 17 crew members were registered on the vessel, indicating a possible discrepancy between the reported and actual number of passengers.
This incident occurred less than a month after another ferry, KM Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire near Madura island, reigniting questions about the safety of maritime transport in the region.
