Indonesian rescuers were continuing their search on Monday for 28 people still missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off the island of Madura, an official said, with five people confirmed dead and 238 others already rescued.
The KM Mutiara Sentosa, carrying 271 passengers, had been sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when it caught fire on Sunday, authorities said, according to Reuters.
Arman Asmara Syarifuddin, director of marine and air affairs at East Java police, told Reuters that seven boats and a helicopter had been deployed to locate those still unaccounted for. The vessels involved included a naval corvette, several speedboats, and a patrol boat capable of carrying around 100 passengers, he said.
The search is focused on a stretch of water extending 10 miles to the east and 10 miles to the west of where the fire broke out, Arman said, adding that the operation was expected to run for seven days but could be extended by a further 14 days if needed. The cause of the blaze remains unclear, he added.
All those rescued were brought ashore at the Port of Gapura Surya Nusantara in Surabaya on Monday morning, where relatives of the missing had been keeping an anxious vigil since Sunday evening. Among them was a woman named Ria, who was awaiting word of her missing uncle.
She said she had tried repeatedly to reach him after learning of the fire, but found his phone switched off, and had then contacted his wife to confirm he had indeed been on board. She said she had since been unable to get any further word of his condition.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of around 17,000 islands, depends heavily on ferries for domestic travel, with sea routes generally cheaper and more accessible than flying. Safety enforcement across the sector remains inconsistent, however, and maritime accidents occur with some regularity.
