- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 02 Aug 2026 10:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Five people confirmed dead in Indonesia ferry fire.
- Forty-one passengers remain missing near Madura Island.
- Rescue operations ongoing; 225 saved from burning vessel.
At least five people have died while 41 remain missing after a massive fire erupted at a ferry at Indonesia's Madura Island on Sunday, accoridng to a report by Reuters. The alarming incident prompted a quick rescue and relief operation by the country.
There were 271 people onboard the ship when the fire erupted. According to data released by the country's search and rescue agency, 225 have been rescued so far.
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java province to Makassar city in South Sulawesi when it caught fire a few hours after the journey began.
Search and rescue operations are still underway. It's not immediately clear what started the fire on the ferry, but the incident occurred Sunday morning. Madura Island is off the northeastern coast of Java.
Videos circulating on social media show thick, black smoke rising from the ferry's upper deck as the fire spreads throughout the vessel. Passengers wearing life jackets are seen gathered on one side of the ship, with some even jumping into the water.
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11 European toursists rescued
Earlier on July 24, 11 European tourists and a loical crew member went missing after their speedboat broke apart and sank in rough weather off a bay on Sulawesi island.
The incident came to light after a local tour guide reportedthe missing boat to search and rescue office in Indonesia, prompting an immediate search operation.
All of them were rescued a day after. The occupants included five Dutch nationals, three Germans, a Czech man, a Belgian man, a French woman and two Indonesian crew members were on board, according to Indonesian authorities.
As per reports, dozens of SAR teams were deployed in a search operation that covered approximately 300 square nautical miles of waters along and around Tomini Bay, a renowned marine tourism destination.