On a Sunday morning in the Java Sea, fire overtook the Mutiara Sentosa 2 as it carried 271 people between two of Indonesia's great islands, leaving five dead and dozens unaccounted for. Rescuers raced against distance, rough seas, and a vessel nearly consumed by flames to pull 225 survivors to safety. The disaster arrives not as an aberration but as a recurring chapter in the story of an archipelago nation whose daily life depends on ferries that its safety systems have long struggled to protect.
Indonesian ferry fire kills at least 5, dozens missing off Java
At least 5 people confirmed dead with 41 missing; 225 passengers and crew rescued from the burning ferry.