KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 Fire: Passenger Count Revised to 236 After 50 Cancellations

The Surabaya Search and Rescue Office (SAR) has revealed the actual number of passengers aboard the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 when it caught fire in the waters north of Madura. The total number of passengers has been updated to 236 following a joint verification process with the ship’s owner.

Head of the Surabaya SAR Office, Nanang Sigit, explained that the ship’s operator initially reported a total of 286 passengers. However, after re-confirmation, it was discovered that 31 vehicles had been cancelled because the vessel was unable to carry the entire load.

‘From the owner, it was 286. However, after we confirmed again, it was conveyed that there were 31 vehicles that did not get transported by the ship. That means they did not fit, so they were not dispatched. And in those vehicles, after confirmation, there were 50 people,’ Nanang said.

With the cancellation of those departures, the number of passengers actually on board the ship became 236. Nanang explained that the 50 people were initially included in the data because they had been registered to depart. However, they were confirmed not to have sailed after the vehicles they were in failed to board the vessel.

‘So from 286 minus 50, it becomes 236. That is what is confirmed at the moment. With 234 having been evacuated, there are still two according to the current data. This means the data is dynamic,’ he added.

‘Initially yes, they did not get transported because it was said the ship was full, so they were ultimately not included on the vessel,’ he concluded.