One person has died after a passenger ferry traveling from Bali to Lombok caught fire at sea on Wednesday morning.
The KM Putri Yasmin caught fire in the Lombok Strait at around 4:39am local time while traveling from Padangbai in Bali to Lembar in Lombok.
By Wednesday afternoon, 172 people had been rescued, including two Australians, according to information reported by the ABC.
The person who died was a 19-year-old Indonesian woman. Rescue authorities said more than 200 personnel were deployed in the emergency operation.
Indonesian navy ships, patrol boats, rescue vessels and a helicopter were involved in the operation, despite rough seas with waves reaching up to four meters.
The ferry’s official manifest listed 114 passengers and 17 crew members, along with 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles. Authorities are investigating how the fire started and whether overcrowding played a role.
The rescue operation remains a major focus as authorities work to account for everyone involved, while the cause of the deadly ferry fire remains under investigation.
