One dead, more than 200 rescued after Indonesian ferry from Bali catches fire
This is the second such incident in days, after a ferry caught fire off Java island last week.
In this image made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), the crew of a rescue ship look on as smoke billows from a passenger ferry that caught fire while travelling from the tourist island of Bali to the neighbouring island of Lombok, in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
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LEMBAR, Indonesia: One woman died and more than 200 people were rescued by Indonesian authorities on Wednesday (Aug 12) after a ferry travelling from the tourist island of Bali caught fire in waters off the island of Lombok, Reuters reported, as the search continued for any other missing passengers.
Search and rescue official Muhamad Haryadi confirmed one casualty – an Indonesian – among the 212 people who had been evacuated and taken to ports in Bali and Lombok.
Earlier in the day, Haryadi told AFP that a navy vessel and other ships evacuated 172 people from the stricken passenger vessel, including two Australian tourists.
An AFP photographer at Lembar on Lombok’s west coast saw one person brought ashore in a body bag.
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Earlier in the day, an official at Padangbai port in Bali, Heri Wiyanto, told local broadcaster Kompas TV that only 114 passengers and 17 crew were registered in the ferry’s manifest.
It was unclear how the ferry caught fire, or whether overcrowding was a factor.
Survivor Kiky Okta Pradika, 25, told reporters in Lembar he had grabbed a life jacket before jumping overboard with several other passengers.
“There were a few hours before there was any help,” he said.
Hariyadi said passengers were evacuated on at least three different vessels, including a navy ship and another ferry that rushed to help in the early morning hours.
Search and rescue vessels were at the scene and a helicopter was conducting surveillance from the air.
Hariyadi earlier said there were no passengers or crew left on the blazing ferry.
There was no immediate information on people injured or missing.
Five people died last week when a ferry caught fire off Java island.
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia – an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.
Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are the main reasons for the disasters.
A ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi, last month.
Four bodies were recovered, but the search operation ended with 14 others still officially missing.
Source: Agencies/dy
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