Rescuers say 5 dead, unknown number of people missing after Indonesian ferry fire
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, remains under investigation
Indonesian rescuers searched for possible missing passengers Monday after rescuing 231 people from a ferry that caught fire the previous day off the main island of Java, leaving at least five people dead.
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that → say → people
Passengers described leaping overboard and staying afloat for hours before rescue.
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Passengers → describe → rescue
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was travelling from Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi.
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ferry → travel → Sulawesi
Initial reports said it was carrying 271 people, including 39 crew members, based on the ship's manifest, when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time in waters off Sumenep regency.
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fire → say → regency
However, by Monday, officials said many more people were aboard than listed, and the number of people missing was unclear.
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number → say → people
Officials were relying on reports from families of victims and survivors in an attempt to determine the number of the missing.
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Officials → rely → missing
It is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest.
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number → differ → manifest
Such discrepancies can complicate search and rescue efforts, said Nanang Sigit, the search mission co-ordinator who also heads the Surabaya Search and Rescue Office.
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who → complicate → Office
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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cause → remain → investigation
Indonesian navy ships assisted, along with a number of passing vessels, at the scene about 35 kilometres north of Sapudi island in the Sumenep regency.
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ships → assist → regency
The vessel was also loaded with 180 vehicles, mostly trucks.
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vessel → load → vehicles
Ahmad Abdul Karim, a survivor, said the fire appeared to have started in a truck on the lower vehicle deck.
"Fanned by the wind, the flames spread extremely quickly," Karim said, "In less than 30 minutes, everyone had been instructed to move to the bow of the ferry."
Another passenger, Azhari, said many passengers had just woken up when the fire erupted, apparently from the rear of the ferry.
"The fire spread quickly to the middle of the vessel," Azhari, who goes by a single name, said in a television interview.
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who → say → interview
He said passengers were in the sea for about four hours before passing vessels began pulling them to safety.
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vessels → say → safety
Television news showed exhausted survivors disembarking from a rescue vessel at a harbour in Surabaya, while rescuers transported bodies to ambulances and grieving relatives waited for information.
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relatives → show → information
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the government would review the performance of the ferry's operator, Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, after the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) completes its investigation.
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Committee → say → investigation
"First we need to determine the cause based on KNKT's findings," Purwagandhi said.
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Purwagandhi → need → findings
The ferry was built in Japan in 1992 and was sold to Indonesia in 2015.
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ferry → build → 2015
With a length of 160 metres, it can accommodate 689 passengers and 49 crew, along with up to 181 vehicles.
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it → accommodate → vehicles
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 serves the Surabaya-Makassar route, a voyage that typically takes around 40 hours and is primarily used by domestic travelers and cargo transport between the islands of Java and Sulawesi.
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that → serve → Java
Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.
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enforcement → occur → ?
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