One Dead, 172 Rescued as Second Ferry in Days Catches Fire in Indonesia

In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
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One Dead, 172 Rescued as Second Ferry in Days Catches Fire in Indonesia

In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)

One woman died and more than 170 were rescued after a ferry caught fire off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali on Wednesday, a rescue official said, in the second such incident in days.

A navy vessel and other ships evacuated 172 people from the stricken passenger vessel, including two Australian tourists, search and rescue official Muhamad Hariyadi told AFP.

A 19-year-old Indonesian woman was declared dead, said Hariyadi, an official on Lombok island, where the ferry had been headed from Bali.

An AFP photographer at Lembar on Lombok's west coast saw one person brought ashore in a body bag.

Survivor Kiky Okta Pradika, 25, told reporters in Lembar he had grabbed a life jacket before jumping overboard with several other passengers.

"There were a few hours before there was any help," he said.

Hariyadi said passengers were evacuated on at least three different vessels, including a navy ship and another ferry that rushed to help in the early morning hours.

Search and rescue vessels were at the scene and a helicopter was conducting surveillance from the air.

Hariyadi earlier said there were no passengers or crew left on the blazing ferry.

There was no immediate information on people injured or missing.

Five people died last week when a ferry caught fire off Java Island.

Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia -- an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.

Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are the main reasons for the disasters.

A ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi, last month.

Four bodies were recovered, but the search operation ended with 14 others still officially missing.



Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
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Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase

A military helicopter crashed in southern Türkiye on Thursday, killing four personnel, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The aircraft crashed for unknown reasons in Samankoy, a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of the provincial capital Malatya in the early evening.

“As a result of an accident involving our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, 4 of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred,” the ministry said in a social media post.

“We pray that God will have mercy on our martyrs and offer our condolences and prayers for strength to their grieving families, our Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.”

According to The Associated Press, TV images showed the wreckage of the helicopter burning near a cluster of buildings in an otherwise open area of land. The Demiroren News Agency reported that flames had spread to a nearby house but reported no casualties on the ground.

Police, firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the crash.


Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
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Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance, who has played a role in efforts to resolve the war, to focus "his complete and total attention" on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities and states.

Trump's directive came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face peace talks with a hard-line Iranian security official and a week after the vice president blamed the costly war with Iran for Republicans' midterm elections drubbing.

Trump's comments marked a shift in tone after he had suggested ⁠in recent weeks ⁠that Iran would be more willing to strike a deal in the eight-month conflict after the US elections.

"We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!" Trump wrote on social media, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the critical ⁠shipping route near Iran where the US military has been working to secure safe passage for international shipping.

Trump said he asked Vance to focus instead on a domestic issue the president previously put in his portfolio: leading an effort targeting alleged fraud in Democratic-run cities and states throughout the US.

"Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large-scale criminal activity. CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!" Trump wrote on Thursday.

Vance's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that ⁠Vance was considering ⁠meeting with a senior Iranian security official, a move that would have put Vance at the center of peace negotiations. Reuters has not confirmed the potential talks.

Vance, who is viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, distanced himself from the war last week after Republicans' midterm election rout by Democrats.

The vice president blamed the costs of the Iran war in part for the party's losses. He also said an earlier recommendation to end the war was "sound advice."

Trump responded to Vance's position by defending the war as necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.


Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz
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Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway.

Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait, despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the war between the United States and Iran that have been reflected in falling oil prices.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on Wednesday after they ignored ⁠warnings against using what ⁠it said was an "unauthorized route".

Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian account.

The two vessels "exploded after hitting naval mines", Iranian state media reported, broadcasting what it said was video footage of the incidents.

Iran's army later said two other tankers had hit mines on Thursday afternoon while sailing through the eastern Strait of Hormuz after ignoring ⁠warnings and disabling their radar systems, state TV reported. The tankers entered a restricted area and subsequently caught fire, it reported.

Earlier in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, the IRGC Navy announced its attacks on tankers. More recently, however, it has instead reported that vessels have caught fire after hitting naval mines while traversing the southern part of the strait, which it has declared an unauthorized route.

In several of those cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said vessels had been struck by unknown projectiles.

The ⁠UKMTO said ⁠in reports on Thursday that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room.
Firefighting efforts were under way and all crew had been evacuated, it added.

At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, which was the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.