REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NUSA PENIDA -- All the 76 passengers of Motor Vessel Ferry Gelis Rauh have been rescued after the ferry was gutted by fire on Lombok strait, Thursday night.

Head of Ferriage of Transportation, Communication and Information Office of Klungkung District I Dewa Gede Sutarta had confirmed on Friday that all the passengers of Gelis Rauh had been rescued. "All of them have been saved," he said.

The passengers were evacuated to Padangbai Harbor, Karangasem District, despite the location of the accident being much closer to Nusa Penida, Klungkung District.

Eight boats had assisted in the rescue mission and evacuation process. One of the boats was KMP Nusa Jaya Abadi of Klungkung Administration, which had set sail from Padangbai-Nusa Penida.

The Nusa Jaya Abadi vessel had managed to evacuate 15 passengers, including two infants, to Padangbai harbor.

Gelis Rauh passenger ferry, carrying 76 passengers and some motor vehicles, caught fire 30 minutes after departing from Padangbai Harbor heading to Lembar Harbor, West Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday (July 17) at 22:00 local time.

All parts of the ferry were quickly gutted by fire and some explosion occurred. Some of the passengers plunged into the sea and swam toward the rescue boats.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident, Sutarta added.

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