Indonesia ferry fire off Madura Island kills five, leaves 41 missing FAST-MOVING
On the morning of 2 August 2026, the passenger ferry KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire in the Java Sea north of Sumenep, Madura, at roughly 06:00‑07:00 WIB. The vessel was on a Surabaya‑Makassar run and was carrying about 250‑285 passengers and crew.
Indonesian search‑and‑rescue agency Basarnas coordinated a large evacuation. Tugboat TB Hasnur 26, the British‑flagged Mentor, SAR vessel KN 249 Permadi and several other ships assisted in pulling survivors from the water. By the afternoon, roughly 225 people had been rescued, while at least five were confirmed dead and 41 remained missing. The fire’s cause is still under investigation. The ship’s last known position was about 19 nautical miles north of Sapudi Island.
Authorities continue to search for the missing and assess the damage, while the incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of safety standards on Indonesia’s heavily used inter‑island ferry routes.
Entities: AKP Widiarti · Asmuri · Basarnas · Basarnas (Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency) · I Nyoman Sidakarya · Jembrana Regency · KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 · KMP/Mutiara Sentosa 2 · Madura Island · Makassar · Medewi · Ministry of Transportation (Indonesia)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] The vessel was located about 19 nautical miles north of Sapudi Island. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] At least five people were confirmed dead. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The ferry KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire on 2 August 2026 in waters north of Sumenep, Madura, Indonesia. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Evacuation was carried out by Basarnas using tugboat TB Hasnur 26, the British Mentor, SAR vessel KN 249 Permadi and other ships. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The cause of the fire is under investigation. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The fire started between 06:00 and 07:00 WIB. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The vessel was carrying about 250 passengers and crew. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Forty‑one people were reported missing. (supporting_article_ids)