Rescuers evacuate burning ferry with 131 people on board near Bali

Rescue crews were evacuating passengers Wednesday from the burning Putri Yasmin ferry in rough seas near Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali, after authorities said 106 people had been rescued and 25 remained aboard.

“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” Muhammad Hariyadi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, said, according to UNB.

Hariyadi said difficult weather, including waves up to 4 meters (13 feet), was hampering the operation. He said Indonesian navy ships, patrol boats and rescue vessels were involved, while a helicopter was deployed for an aerial survey.

The fire broke out around 4:15 a.m. as the ferry traveled from Padang Bai port in Bali to Lembar port on Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara province, according to the search and rescue office in Mataram, the provincial capital. The agency said it received an emergency report nearly 30 minutes later and immediately sent personnel and rescue vessels.

Passenger manifest data from the Padang Bai port authority showed the ferry was carrying 114 passengers and 17 crew members, along with 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies widely on ferries, and accidents occur regularly, often blamed on weak enforcement of safety regulations.