Indonesian Citizen Affected by Fire Destroying 1,000 Floating Houses in Malaysia

JAKARTA - A fire that engulfed 1,000 floating houses in Sandakan, Malaysia, did not result in any fatalities despite affecting Indonesian citizens (WNI).

“As of now, there are no reports of fatalities. Several residents who sustained minor injuries while attempting to save their belongings have received medical treatment,” stated Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) in its release on Monday (20/4/2026).

Around 1,000 floating houses were burned out of a total of 1,200 units in the incident.

Kemlu explained that the majority of the area’s residents are Malaysian citizens, Filipinos, and WNI married to Malaysian citizens.

Kemlu is actively coordinating intensively with local authorities to obtain accurate data on the number and condition of affected WNI.

In addition, Kemlu is directly monitoring the on-the-ground situation, including refugee handling and aid distribution.

“Preparing facilitation of immigration documents for affected WNI who lost important documents due to the fire,” said Kemlu.

Currently, the government’s primary focus is to ensure the safety and registration of all affected WNI.

Kemlu also urged families in Indonesia with relatives in the area to remain calm and wait for official information from the government.

Previously, a large fire in a coastal village in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, on Sunday (19/4/2026) razed around 1,000 floating houses, impacting 9,007 residents.

The disaster occurred in the “water village” of the Sandakan district, in northeastern Sabah, which is home to some of the most vulnerable groups, including indigenous people and stateless residents.

AFP reported that the settlement consisted of wooden houses built closely together over water, allowing the fire to spread rapidly and be difficult to control.

Sandakan Police Chief George Abd Rakman described the fire as a very large and heartbreaking incident that affected 9,007 residents, as quoted from the daily The Star.