Mutiara Sentosa ferry capsizes in Indonesia, killing 5 people

• The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry capsized in the waters off Madura: 5 people were reported missing, and 41 people were injured without any confirmed fatalities.
• The ferry carrying 271 people (232 passengers and 39 crew members) from Surabaya to Makassar; the evacuation was carried out by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) after the incident, and the number of people involved was reported.
• The cause is still unclear: the operator PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran reported that the incident was caused by a collision with Basarnas, and the search is being carried out in the waters off Madura.

In the meantime, Basarnas continues to search for the missing people in Indonesia, saying that the Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry capsized, leaving 41 injured and no confirmed deaths, while the search is ongoing.

Basarnas said that the Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry carried 271 people — 232 passengers and 39 crew — from Surabaya to Makassar. According to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, search operations were carried out between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. local time after the ferry was reported missing in the Madura Strait.

Basarnas said that the operator PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran reported that the ship’s position was lost after it was hit by an object. The company said it was still unclear what exactly happened to the ferry, but there was no evidence of a collision.

By 9:45 p.m., after the communication with the Meratus Project 3 vessel was restored, it was found that the ferry was carrying 19 people from the sea off Buruan Sapudi. It was also reported that Meratus Project 3 had not found any survivors yet.

According to Basarnas, by 10:00 p.m. local time, search and rescue teams had found some bodies in the sea, while the number of missing people was still being clarified. The operation has been suspended.

The cause is still unclear, and it is believed that the incident may have been caused by a mechanical failure. In the meantime, Basarnas said the search for survivors is ongoing.

For assistance, the operator PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran reported that the ferry was carrying 271 people, and that the incident may have been caused by a collision. It is also reported that the ferry’s engine failed.

Mutiara Sentosa 2 was 160 meters long and 25 meters wide. The ship sails on the Surabaya–Makassar route, which takes about 40 hours.

Tags: Aviation/Crime