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A passenger ferry caught fire near Indonesia’s Madura Island on Sunday, leaving at least five people dead and 41 others missing. The vessel, carrying 271 passengers and crew members, was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi when the blaze erupted.
Rescue teams quickly launched operations, deploying several vessels to search the surrounding waters. According to officials, around 225 people were rescued by Sunday afternoon, while efforts continued to locate the missing passengers.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Ferry accidents are a recurring concern in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where maritime safety enforcement has often faced challenges.