Indonesian rescue teams are searching for 28 people still unaccounted for, three days after a passenger ferry caught fire off the coast of Madura island.
The KM Mutiara Sentosa, carrying 271 people, was sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, to the city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi when the blaze broke out on Sunday (2 August).
Arman Asmara Syarifuddin, Director of Marine and Air Affairs at East Java Police, said five people had been confirmed dead and 238 had been rescued, leaving 28 still missing.
He said police, the national rescue agency and the Navy had sent seven vessels and a helicopter to join the search, including a small warship, several speedboats and a patrol boat able to carry around 100 people.
Crews say they are concentrating their efforts on a stretch of water reaching around 16 kms (10 miles) east and west of where the fire started. The operation is expected to run for seven days, though it could be extended by a further fortnight if needed.
Officials say the cause of the fire has not yet been established.
Survivors were brought ashore at the Port of Gapura Surya Nusantara in Surabaya on Monday morning, where relatives had been gathering anxiously since the previous evening.
Among them was a woman named Ria, still waiting for word of her missing uncle. She said she had been unable to reach him after hearing about the fire, and had turned to his wife to confirm he was on board. She said she still had no way of reaching him or learning what had happened to him.
Ferries remain a vital link across Indonesia's roughly 17,000 islands, offering a cheaper and more accessible alternative to flying. But enforcement of safety rules is inconsistent, and maritime accidents occur regularly.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.
BRICS leaders have called for maximum restraint over the war in the Middle East, warning against actions that could further worsen tensions as the United States and Iran resume strikes against each other.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment