Fire on Putri Yasmin Ferry in Lombok Strait: One Dead, 212 Rescued

The KMP Putri Yasmin was crossing the Lombok Strait in the dark when fire broke out at around 04:39 local time on August 12, 2026. The car ferry had left Padangbai port in Bali and was heading to Lembar port in Lombok.

Survivors said the blaze started in a cargo truck on the vehicle deck. It spread fast. Rough seas, with waves reported at up to four metres, made the evacuation slow and dangerous.

Emergency crews sent dozens of search-and-rescue workers out to the stricken ferry. Nearby vessels also helped. By afternoon, 212 people had been brought safely to ports in Bali and Lombok. One person, an Indonesian national, was confirmed dead.

The rescue highlighted a familiar problem on Indonesia's inter-island routes: officials said the ferry's manifest did not match the number of people actually aboard.

The 62-metre vessel was built in Japan in 1992 and can carry up to 220 passengers and 55 vehicles. It normally runs one of the busiest crossings in the Indonesian archipelago, the four-to-five-hour journey between Bali and Lombok. The incident was the second notable ferry fire in Indonesian waters in less than a month.