BALINEWSID.COM, LOMBOK — A joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team continued an intensive search and evacuation operation on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, after a passenger vessel caught fire in the waters of the Lombok Strait at around 4:15 a.m. local time.

As of the latest report from the SAR command post, 173 people had been evacuated from the incident. Of that number, 172 were confirmed safe, while one person was reported dead.

The SAR operation remains underway as authorities continue searching the waters around the incident site to ensure that all passengers and crew members have been accounted for.

A range of rescue assets has been deployed, including KN SAR 220 Mataram, KN SAR Arjuna, the SGi Air Bali helicopter, KMP Portlink II, KAL Lembar, as well as the yachts No Comment and Still Here.

Rescuers are also using a Polairud speedboat, a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), and a Rigid Buoyancy Boat (RBB) to support the search and evacuation operation.

Personnel from the Mataram and Denpasar Search and Rescue Offices are involved in the operation, along with SGi Air Bali, Finns Search and Rescue, the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), the West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police’s Water and Air Police Directorate, West Lombok Police, Lembar Port Authority, the crews of KMP PortLink II and KMP Parama Kalyani, yacht crews, medical teams, local residents and other relevant agencies.

Head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, Muhamad Hariyadi, said all joint SAR personnel remained on full alert as the operation continued.

“Our main focus at this time is ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew. The joint SAR team is continuing to search the waters around the incident site to anticipate the possibility of other victims who may not yet have been evacuated,” Hariyadi said in an official statement.

He said coordination among all agencies involved was being intensified to accelerate the emergency response, search and evacuation efforts.

Hariyadi also emphasized that the number of victims remains provisional and will be updated periodically as the operation progresses.

The search and rescue operation remains ongoing, with teams continuing to comb the surrounding waters for any passengers or crew members who may still be unaccounted for.