MATARAM, Indonesia — More than 100 people were rescued Wednesday after a passenger ferry caught fire off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali as the vessel sailed toward the adjacent island of Lombok.
Officials confirmed no casualties among the at least 114 people listed on the manifest. Multiple vessels responded, including a naval ship and civilian ferries.
Muhamad Hariyadi, head of the search and rescue agency in Mataram on Lombok, confirmed the evacuation. He said rescue vessels were at the scene and a helicopter was conducting aerial surveillance.
"As of now, we have not received any report of casualties," Hariyadi told Metro TV. He said responders had confirmed all passengers were no longer on board the burning ship.
A nearby ferry evacuated 30 people and transported them to Bali. A search and rescue vessel was en route to Lembar port in Lombok with 59 rescued passengers. A navy vessel picked up another 17 passengers. Hariyadi said the total number of passengers aboard the stricken ferry was still being verified.
The fire was the second on a ferry in the region within days. Last week, a separate ferry fire off Java island killed five people.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferry connections for transport. Marine accidents occur regularly across the country, with lax safety standards and unpredictable weather frequently cited as causes.
Last month, a ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi. Four bodies were recovered and 14 others were listed as missing after the search operation concluded.
