On Wednesday, a ro/pax ferry caught fire off the coast of Bali with hundreds of passengers on board, prompting a mass rescue effort.
The ferry Mutiara Timur I was under way in the Bali Strait on Wednesday afternoon when heavy smoke began to billow from the interior. The ship had 234 passengers aboard, and getting all of them off quickly took considerable assistance. First responders included local fishermen, rescue RIBs belonging to Indonesian SAR agency Basarnas, and good samaritans.
The Indonesian Navy patrol ship Kadet-6 was among the responding vessels, and her crew used a small platform at the stern to help passengers clamber from small rescue boats onto the ship.
“There is an evacuation taking place. It’s unclear if any victims have been identified. We are only receiving data,” SAR official Tanjungwangi Widodo told network BNN.
No injuries or fatalities had been reported as of Wednesday evening. The head of Basarnas for Bali, Gede Darmada, told local media that all crewmembers and passengers on the ship had been evacuated and brought to shore at Tanjungwangi Banyuwangi, Java. The SAR portion of the operation has been brought to a close.
The vessel’s ro/ro decks have a large load of more than 100 vehicles, primarily cargo trucks, and the extent of cargo damage is not yet known.
