On a Sunday morning in the Java Sea, a passenger ferry named Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire while carrying 271 souls between Surabaya and Makassar, becoming the latest vessel to remind an archipelago nation that the sea which connects its 17,000 islands also holds its dangers. Five people were confirmed dead by afternoon, 41 remained missing, and 225 were pulled to safety through a patchwork rescue effort involving navy warships, cargo vessels, and coast guard teams. The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but the vulnerability it exposes is familiar — in a country where ferries are not a conve
Indonesian ferry fire off Java kills 5, leaves 41 missing as 225 rescued
At least five people died and 41 others remain missing after the ferry fire; hundreds were rescued from the burning vessel.