Four Passengers Reported Dead on KM Mutiara Sentosa II, Evacuation Continues
Four passengers on the KM Mutiara Sentosa II have been reported dead following a fire on the vessel, which was travelling the Surabaya-Makassar route in the waters north of Sumenep Regency, East Java, on Sunday, 2 August 2026.
The Head of the Surabaya SAR Office, Nanang Sigit PH, stated that this is the latest update as of 3:15 PM WIB, noting that 218 other passengers have been successfully evacuated safely. “From the preliminary data, 218 passengers have been saved, while four individuals were found dead,” said Nanang on Sunday.
He explained that the search and evacuation process for all passengers is still being carried out by a joint team. Both survivors and deceased victims were evacuated using several ships located nearest to the incident site. The Meratus Pematang Siantar vessel evacuated 111 people, consisting of 109 survivors and two fatalities. Meanwhile, TB Hasnur 26 evacuated 66 people, including 65 survivors and one fatality. Additionally, the Meratus Project 3 evacuated 14 people, comprising 13 survivors and one fatality. The Transco Arafura rescued 17 passengers, while Prakarsa Mas and SC Aila XVII each evacuated seven survivors.
The fire was first reported to the Surabaya SAR Office at 8:24 AM WIB by the Tanjung Perak Harbour Master’s standby officer. One minute later, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran confirmed that KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 was on fire while sailing from Surabaya to Makassar, with an estimated 250 people on board. According to information received by the company from the captain, the fire occurred between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM WIB in the waters north of Madura. Following the report, communication with the captain was lost.
Coordination between SAR and the Meratus Project 3 vessel at 9:45 AM WIB indicated that KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 was located approximately 19 nautical miles north of Sapudi Island. At that time, the ship was reported to be almost entirely ablaze, with passengers clinging to the bridge and the bow of the ship while awaiting assistance. Due to its flammable cargo, the Meratus Project 3 was unable to dock alongside the vessel, and the evacuation was subsequently carried out by TB Hasnur 26. At 10:20 AM, several passengers were reported to have jumped into the sea to save themselves and were rescued by TB Hasnur 26 and the British Mentor vessel, which were in the vicinity.