Basarnas Reveals Five Victims of KM Mutiara Sentosa Fire Died from Fall, Not Burns

Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, has revealed that the five victims of the KM Mutiara Sentosa II fire in the waters north of Madura did not die from burns. Instead, the victims are believed to have fallen from a height as the ship began to list before ultimately disappearing from the sea’s surface. Based on the SAR operation results and information gathered from the field, all passengers had been directed to the ship’s deck and were wearing life jackets before abandoning ship into the sea. “I can also confirm that the deceased did not die from burns. However, because the position of the deck relative to the water under normal conditions is approximately more than 7 metres,” said Mohammad Syafii during a press conference in Surabaya. “Some passengers held on until the ship eventually listed, and it is estimated that these last victims fell from a height of approximately more than 10 metres,” he added. According to Syafii, before the ship listed further, the crew had instructed all passengers to leave the dangerous area and don life jackets. This information was obtained by Basarnas from confirmations with a number of survivors. “From the information we have received, it can be confirmed that all victims were wearing life jackets,” he stated. Mohammad Syafii assessed that the use of life jackets was one of the crucial factors enabling the majority of passengers to survive, despite having to float in the sea for around two hours before being evacuated by passing vessels at the scene.