Crews rescued 172 people and recovered the body of a passenger from a ferry that caught fire in rough seas near the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, authorities said.
The fire started at about 4.15am while the Putri Yasmin ferry was en route from Padang Bai port in Bali to Lembar port on the neighbouring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province, according to the search and rescue office in Mataram, the provincial capital.
The agency received an emergency report almost half an hour later and immediately deployed personnel and rescue vessels.
“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, who heads the Mataram Search and Rescue Office.
Initial reports said the ferry was carrying 131 people, including 17 crew members, based on the ship’s manifest, when the fire broke out in the Lombok Strait.
However, hours after the incident, officials said more people were aboard than listed. The ferry was also transporting 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.
The National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas, said rescuers evacuated 172 people from the burnt vessel, including two Australian tourists, and recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian girl.
Survivor Kiky Okta Pradika, 25, said in Lembar he had grabbed a life jacket before jumping overboard with several other passengers.
“There were a few hours before there was any help,” he said.
Hariyadi said passengers were evacuated on at least three different vessels, including a navy ship and another ferry that rushed to help in the early morning hours.
Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority, said at least two injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Hariyadi said the rescue effort was supported by Indonesian navy ships, patrol boats and rescue vessels, and a helicopter to make an aerial survey.
He said rough seas with waves reported as high as 4m (13 feet) complicated rescue efforts.
Wednesday’s incident happened less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire in waters off the main island of Java, leaving at least five people dead.
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. — AP/AFP
Helping hands: A distressed woman being supported by a rescue team member upon arriving at Lembar port in West Lombo. (Right) Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) crew pulling survivors from the passenger ferry that caught fire while travelling to Lombok. — AFP/Basarnas via AP
An aerial view shows thick smoke rising from KM Putri Yasmin ferry that caught fire in waters off Lombok, Indonesia, August 12, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Basarnas/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Up in smoke: Rescuers looking at thick smoke rising from the KM Putri Yasmin as they approach the raft carrying survivors. — Reuters
In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
Passengers evacuated from the KM Putri Yasmin, a ferry with around 130 people on board, travelling from the Indonesian tourist island of Bali that caught fire in waters off Lombok, rest at the Padangbai port in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, August 12, 2026. REUTERS/Johannes Christo
A rescue worker carries an evacuated child at Lembar port in West Lombok on August 12, 2026. A navy vessel and other ships rushed in on August 12 to rescue over 100 people from a ferry on fire off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, officials said, in the second such incident in days. (Photo by AFP)
Off to safety: A man carrying a boy who was rescued from the ferry (top) with around 130 people on board at Lembar port in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province. — Reuters
