A ferry carrying approximately 130 passengers, which had set sail from the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, caught fire off the coast of Lombok, and a rescue operation was underway throughout the night, Indonesian officials said.
The ferry KM Putri Yasmin departed from Pantagbai, Bali, and was headed for Lembar, in Lombok, in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, explained the head of the rescue service in Bali, I Gusti Lanang Wisuananda, told Reuters.
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The head of the rescue service in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Mohammad Harijadi, stated that the incident in the Lombok Strait began at 4:39 a.m. (local time; 11:39 p.m. Cyprus time yesterday, Tuesday).
The officer emphasized that more than 200 agency personnel were deployed to the area for the passenger evacuation operation.
At least 114 passengers and 17 crew members were on board the ferry, according to the passenger and cargo manifest, clarified Heri Wijayanto, an official at the Pandangbai port in Bali, told the Kompas television network. According to the same official, authorities had evacuated 33 passengers. Kompas reported, however, that all passengers are safe.
The cause of the fire on the ship remains unclear at this stage.
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Source: CNA
