Two Australians among hundreds rescued from deadly Bali ferry fire
Updated . First published at
Two Australians are among 211 people who have been rescued from a burning ferry caught in rough seas off Bali, but one woman didn’t make it out alive.
The Putri Yasmin ferry was heading from Padang Bai port in Bali to Lembar port on the neighbouring island of Lombok when the fire broke out about 4.15am (7.15am AEST) on Wednesday.
Crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire. BASARNAS via AP
The search and rescue office in Mataram, the provincial capital, received an emergency report almost half an hour later and immediately deployed personnel and rescue vessels.
Passengers jumped into the water or clung to lifeboats amid seas as high as four metres as navy ships, patrol boats and a helicopter carried out a rescue mission.
“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” Mataram Search and Rescue Office chief Muhammad Hariyadi said.
Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed people wearing life jackets crowding an inflatable life raft in choppy waters during a rescue operation at sea, as thick black smoke billows from the ferry.
The rescue agency said that as of Wednesday afternoon, rescuers evacuated 211 people from the burned vessel, including two Australian tourists, and recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman.
Initial reports said the ferry was carrying 131 people, including 17 crew members, based on the ship’s manifest, when the fire broke out in the Lombok Strait.
However, hours after the incident, officials said more people were aboard than listed. It is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest. The ferry was also transporting 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.
Smoke billows from passenger ferry Putri Yasmin after it caught fire. BASARNAS via AP
Authorities have not yet explained why the number of people evacuated exceeded the total listed on the initial passenger manifest. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said officials will look into the discrepancy.
“The findings will be thoroughly reviewed as part of the ministry’s evaluation,” Purwagandhi said.
“This is a serious issue that will be thoroughly investigated.”
He said investigators were determining the cause of the fire.
Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority, said at least two injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital.
“The response operation is ongoing, and authorities are continuing to account for all victims,” said Syamsurizal, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.
Wednesday’s incident happened less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire in waters off the main island of Java, leaving at least five people dead.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.
- Reported with Associated Press
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