Over 200 rescued from burning ferry off Bali, Indonesia

Personnel from the Indonesian Navy and national search and rescue (SAR) agency Basarnas as well as the crews of some Good Samaritan fishing vessels have successfully rescued all 258 passengers and crew from a Ro-Pax ferry that caught fire off the island of Bali on Wednesday, November 16.

The 166-metre Mutiara Timur 1 was underway when a blaze ignited in an undisclosed area of the vessel at around 15:00 local time on Wednesday.

Videos of the SAR operation showed smoke billowing at various points along the vessel. However, a Basarnas official later confirmed the rescue effort was successful as all of the ferry’s passengers and crew were evacuated to shore without injury.

Authorities are still working to identify the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage suffered by the vessel, which was also carrying over 100 vehicles when the incident occurred.

No signs of pollution have been detected.