Evacuees from KMP Putri Yasmin Fire Rise to 212

The Mataram SAR Office has stated that the number of people successfully evacuated from the KMP Putri Yasmin fire in the waters of the Lombok Strait has risen to 212 as of Wednesday evening.

“The total is 212,” said Head of the Mataram SAR Office Muhamad Hariyadi at Lembar Port, West Lombok, on Wednesday evening.

Hariyadi said the joint SAR team had previously recorded 173 people evacuated, consisting of 172 survivors and one fatality.

The figure then increased after the KMP Pratama Kalyani evacuated 39 people and brought them towards Lembar Port.

“The 39 people on board are still on the Pratama Kalyani vessel heading to Lembar. It happens to be from Lembar as well, from the same company. It helped with the search,” he said.

“Initially, six vessels were deployed to the location. From the initial report we received, in line with what was conveyed by the ministry, 173 with one fatality,” he said.

Regarding the possibility that there are still people who have not been found or have not been included in the data, Hariyadi said his office could not yet confirm this because passenger data collection is the responsibility of the company.

“We cannot yet confirm the victim data. That is the authority of the company,” he said.

The SAR team will continue the search operation on Thursday (13/8), including following up on reports from families who have not received information about their relatives.

Hariyadi said the continued search operation will be adjusted according to weather conditions in the field.

“We will conduct the search by adjusting to the weather conditions in the field tomorrow,” he said.

The KMP Putri Yasmin caught fire while sailing from Padangbai Port, Bali, to Lembar Port, Lombok, in the early hours of Wednesday.