Video: One Dead, Several Missing After Ferry Catches Fire Near Bali

Rescuers saved 211 people from a ferry that caught fire in rough seas while travelling from Bali to the nearby island of Lombok in Indonesia, authorities said. The body of a 19-year-old woman was also recovered.

The Putri Yasmin ferry caught fire at around 4:15 a.m. on Wednesday while sailing from Bali to Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province. At least seven foreign tourists were among those rescued.

The search was still underway on Thursday. Relatives at a post command centre at the port said at least five family members were still missing. Their names were listed at the centre.

Videos released by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency showed passengers in life jackets packed into an inflatable life raft in rough water. Thick black smoke could be seen coming from the ferry.

The ferry was carrying 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles when the fire started.

Passenger numbers being investigated

The incident has also raised questions about how many people were actually on board.

The ferry’s initial manifest listed 131 people, including 17 crew members. Officials later said there were more people on the vessel, but they have not explained why the number rescued was much higher than the figure on the manifest.

It is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers on ferries to differ from the official manifest.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the discrepancy would be investigated.

“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 from the National Transportation Safety Committee were working to establish what caused the fire.

Fire may have started in truck

Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority in Lombok, said survivors told authorities that the fire appeared to have started in a cargo truck before spreading quickly through the ferry.

The heat forced some passengers to jump into the sea, he said. At least two injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital.

“The response operation is ongoing, and authorities are continuing to account for all victims,” Syamsurizal said.

The Mataram Search and Rescue Office received the emergency report about half an hour after the fire started and sent rescue teams and vessels to the area.

“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office.

Six vessels, a helicopter, two inflatable boats and two private yachts were involved in the rescue operation. Waves of up to 4 metres (13 feet) made the operation more difficult, Hariyadi said.

Ferry built in Japan in 1992

The Putri Yasmin is 62 metres (203 feet) long and was built in Japan in 1992. It can carry up to 220 passengers and 55 vehicles.

The ferry mainly carries passengers and cargo between Bali and Lombok. The journey normally takes four to five hours.

The incident came less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off the main island of Java, killing at least five people.

Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands, making ferries an important form of transport between its islands. Ferry accidents occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

The search for missing passengers continued on Thursday as authorities worked to account for everyone who was on board and investigate the cause of the fire.

References: AP News, CBS News