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More than 200 people were rescued after a ferry caught fire while covering the route between the tourist island of Bali and Lombok, according to Indonesian authorities, who are continuing search efforts to rule out more missing persons.
Among the 212 people transported to port, one Indonesian national was confirmed dead. Most of the survivors are locals, with the exception of one Australian citizen, detailed Muhamad Hariyadi, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency in Lombok.
The incident occurred less than a month after another ferry, the KM Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off the island of Madura, leaving five dead. That vessel also carried more people than registered on its passenger list.
In the recent case, the KM Putri Yasmin had departed from Padangbai Port, in Bali, bound for Lembar Port, according to Muhamad Hariyadi. It has not yet been determined how the fire started or if overcrowding was a determining factor.
"We have deployed several vessels to carry out the evacuation and we remain coordinated with other ships in the incident area," stated Hariyadi, adding that more than 200 personnel are participating in the operation.
"The incident occurred in the Lombok Strait at 4:39 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12 (20:39 GMT on Tuesday, August 11)," Hariyadi told Reuters.
Hours earlier, a Padangbai Port official in Bali, Heri Wiyanto, told local channel Kompas TV that only 114 people and 17 crew members were registered on the ferry's passenger list.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transport, as sea routes are more affordable and accessible than air transport.
However, safety regulations are not always rigorously enforced, leading to a relatively high accident rate.
