Rescuers search for 28 missing after ferry catches fire in Indonesia’s Madura island

An intensive search is underway for 28 individuals still missing after a ferry fire off Indonesia's Madura island, authorities confirmed Monday. The KM Mutiara Sentosa ferry, carrying 271 passengers, was traveling from Surabaya, East Java, to Makassar, South Sulawesi, when it erupted in flames on Sunday.

Arman Asmara Syarifuddin, director of marine and air affairs at East Java police, reported that five people have died and 238 have been rescued. A coordinated effort involving the rescue agency and the Navy has deployed seven boats and one helicopter to scour the waters. The search is concentrated within a 10-mile radius east and west of the incident's location, with plans to continue for seven days, potentially extending to 21 days.

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Police with the rescue agency and the Navy have deployed seven boats and one helicopter to find the missing people.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Families of those on board anxiously awaited news at the Port of Gapura Surya Nusantara in Surabaya, where rescued passengers were evacuated. Ria, awaiting word of her uncle, expressed distress over his uncontactable cellphone and the uncertainty of his condition. Indonesia, an archipelago nation, relies heavily on ferries, but safety standards are often inconsistently enforced, leading to frequent accidents.

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I tried to contact continuously after I got the information but his cellphone was not active, then I contacted his wife to make sure that my uncle was on the ship and it turned out to be true. And until now I have not been able to contact and know his condition.