Rescuers evacuate more than 200 from a ferry fire that left at least 1 dead near Bali

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Crews rescued 211 people and recovered the body of a passenger from a ferry that caught fire in rough seas Wednesday near the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, authorities said.

Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed people wearing life jackets crowding an inflatable life raft in choppy waters during a rescue operation at sea, as thick black smoke billows from the ferry.

The agency said that as of early Thursday, rescuers evacuated 211 people from the burned vessel, including seven foreign tourists, and recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman.

The Putri Yasmin ferry was traveling from Bali to the neighboring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province when the fire broke out at about 4:15 a.m. Wednesday. The ferry was also transporting 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.

The Search and Rescue Office in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province, received an emergency report almost half an hour later and immediately deployed personnel and rescue vessels.

“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, who heads the Mataram Search and Rescue Office.

The search was continuing Thursday. Relatives who gathered in a post command center in the port reported at least five of their family members still unaccounted for. Their names were posted at the center as missing.

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