106 Passengers Evacuated from Burning KMP Putri Yasmin Ferry

Mataram (ANTARA) - The Mataram Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has confirmed that 106 passengers of the KMP Putri Yasmin, which caught fire in the Lombok Strait, have been successfully evacuated to safety at the ports of Lembar in Lombok and Padangbai in Bali. Head of the Mataram SAR Office, Muhamad Hariyadi, stated that the passengers were rescued by a fleet of vessels including those from SAR, the Indonesian Navy, and the KMP Port Link, which regularly serves the Lembar-Padangbai route. “We deployed the KN 220 Mataram, a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), and a Rigid Buoyancy Boat (RBB) to the scene to conduct the evacuation and coordinated with ships in the vicinity,” he said on Wednesday. He detailed that 30 passengers were taken to Padangbai aboard the KMP Port Link, 59 were evacuated to Lembar by the KN SAR Arjuna 220, and 17 were transported to Lembar by a Navy vessel. The Mataram SAR Office collaborated with the Denpasar SAR Office, which also deployed its main vessel, KN SAR Arjuna. In addition to the sea operation, aerial surveillance and search efforts were conducted using a helicopter from SGi Air Bali. “We are currently focusing on the evacuation process,” he added. The operation also involved the Indonesian Navy’s KAL Lembar, the West Lombok Police, the Water and Air Police (Polairud), the Lembar Harbourmaster, KMP PortLink II, passing yachts, and local fishermen. The incident was reported to have occurred at 04:15 Central Indonesian Time (WITA) while the ship was en route from Padangbai Port to Lembar Port. The Mataram SAR Office received the emergency report at 04:39 WITA and immediately dispatched personnel to carry out the evacuation process.