Crews work to rescue more passengers from burning ferry near Bali, Indonesia

JAKARTA – Crews were battling a fire and trying to rescue more survivors from a burning passenger ferry in rough seas Wednesday near the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.

Rescuers and passing vessels had managed to save 106 people and were battling to get the remaining 25 people off the burning vessel, authorities said.

“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, who heads the Mataram Search and Rescue Office.

He said rough seas with waves reported as high as 4 meters (13 feet) complicated rescue efforts.

The fire started about 4:15 a.m. while the Putri Yasmin ferry was en route from Padang Bai port in Bali to Lembar port on the neighboring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province, according to the search office in Mataram, the provincial capital.

The agency received an emergency report almost half an hour later and immediately deployed personnel and rescue vessels.

Hariyadi said the rescue effort was supported by Indonesian navy ships, patrol boats and rescue vessels and a helicopter to make an aerial survey.

The ferry was carrying 114 passengers and 17 crew members, Hariyadi said, citing passenger manifest data released by the Padang Bai’s port authority. The ferry also loaded 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.