A massive search and rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after a passenger ferry carrying 271 people caught fire while crossing the Java Sea. Authorities say at least five people have died, 225 have been rescued, and 41 remain missing.

The ferry was traveling from Surabaya, East Java, to Makassar, South Sulawesi, when the captain reported flames onboard. Emergency responders, supported by nearby vessels, rushed to evacuate passengers as the ship burned. Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire while rescue teams continue searching for survivors.

Indonesia ferry disaster: Deadly Indonesia ferry blaze sparks major rescue mission

Deadly Indonesia Ferry Blaze Sparks Major Search And Rescue Mission | Indonesia Ferry Fire

A passenger ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in the Java Sea while sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

According to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), five people have been confirmed dead, while 41 remain missing as rescue operations continue. Emergency teams are working to evacuate passengers and crew after the vessel caught fire during its journey.

Authorities say the captain alerted the ferry company shortly after the blaze broke out, triggering a large-scale search and rescue mission involving multiple emergency agencies.

Indonesia Ferry Fire: 5 Dead, 41 Missing After Passenger Ferry Catches Fire in Java Sea

From Pigeon racing competition in Surabaya to US & Israeli flags being burnt by fighters affiliated with DFLP, here are some impactful images from around the world on July 15, 2022.

World in Pictures: Pigeon racing competition in Surabaya; US & Israeli flags burnt

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-to-send-210-tonnes-of-waste-back-to-australia-234274">Indonesia has shipped tonnes of Australian garbage </a>out of the country, an official said Tuesday, as Southeast Asian nations push back against serving as dumping grounds for foreign trash.

Eight containers of trash, weighing some 210 tonnes left Indonesia's second-biggest city &nbsp;on Monday aboard a cargo ship bound for Singapore, the local customs agency said.

The move comes less than a week after Australia pledged to stop exporting recyclable waste amid<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/could-mexico-cactus-solve-worlds-plastics-problem-241852"> global concerns about plastic polluting</a> the oceans and increasing pushback from Asian nations against accepting trash.

Last month, Indonesia said it would return the Australian rubbish after authorities found hazardous material and household trash, including used diapers and electronic waste, in containers meant to hold the only waste paper.

"Six containers contaminated with (hazardous) waste and two containers mixed with household rubbish" left Indonesia on Monday, said Alvina Christine Zebua, a spokeswoman for the East Java customs agency.

She could not confirm when the containers might arrive back in Australia.

Last month Indonesia returned seven shipping containers of illegally imported waste to France and Hong Kong that were seized in Batam Island near Singapore.

Those containers were loaded with a combination of garbage, plastic waste and hazardous materials in violation of import rules.

Batam authorities were also preparing to return another 42 containers of waste, including shipments from the United States, Australia and Germany.

China used to receive the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year to clean up its environment.&nbsp;

Huge quantities of waste have since been redirected to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and to a lesser degree the Philippines.&nbsp;

Around 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), with much of it ending up in landfills or polluting the seas, in what has become a growing international crisis.&nbsp;

A particular environmental concern is microplastics, tiny pieces of degraded waste that absorb harmful chemicals and accumulate inside fish, birds and other animals.

Indonesia has shipped tonnes of Australian garbage out of the country, an official said Tuesday, as Southeast Asian nations push back against serving as dumping grounds for foreign trash.

Indonesia has shipped tonnes of Australian garbage out of the country, an official said Tuesday, as Southeast Asian nations push back against serving as dumping grounds for foreign trash. Eight containers of trash, weighing some 210 tonnes left Indonesia's second-biggest city on Monday aboard a cargo ship bound for Singapore, the local customs agency said. The move comes less than a week after Australia pledged to stop exporting recyclable waste amid global concerns about plastic polluting the oceans and increasing pushback from Asian nations against accepting trash. Last month, Indonesia said it would return the Australian rubbish after authorities found hazardous material and household trash, including used diapers and electronic waste, in containers meant to hold the only waste paper. "Six containers contaminated with (hazardous) waste and two containers mixed with household rubbish" left Indonesia on Monday, said Alvina Christine Zebua, a spokeswoman for the East Java customs agency. She could not confirm when the containers might arrive back in Australia. Last month Indonesia returned seven shipping containers of illegally imported waste to France and Hong Kong that were seized in Batam Island near Singapore. Those containers were loaded with a combination of garbage, plastic waste and hazardous materials in violation of import rules. Batam authorities were also preparing to return another 42 containers of waste, including shipments from the United States, Australia and Germany. China used to receive the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year to clean up its environment. Huge quantities of waste have since been redirected to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and to a lesser degree the Philippines. Around 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), with much of it ending up in landfills or polluting the seas, in what has become a growing international crisis. A particular environmental concern is microplastics, tiny pieces of degraded waste that absorb harmful chemicals and accumulate inside fish, birds and other animals.

Indonesia ships back tonnes of Australian waste

A family of five, including a child, carried out the suicide bombing of a police headquarters in Indonesia's second city Surabaya on Monday, police said, a day after a deadly wave of attacks on churches staged by another family.

The spate of bombings has rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming the church attacks and raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade.

Indonesia, which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months, has long struggled with Islamist militancy, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people -- mostly foreign tourists -- in the country's worst-ever terror attack.

Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown that smashed some networks, and most recent attacks have been low-level and targeted domestic security forces.

But that changed Sunday as a family of six -- including girls aged nine and 12 -- staged suicide bombings of three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 18 including the bombers.

On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10.

"There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid," national police chief Tito Karnavian said. "This is one family."

An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the attack and was taken to hospital, while her mother, father and two brothers died in the blast, he said.

The children were likely led to their deaths without a full awareness of their fate, said Ade Banani, of the University of Indonesia’s research centre of police science and terrorism studies.

If a family believed in traditional roles, the father "has the power, so everyone has to obey", Banani said.

"The children probably don't know what's going on or don't understand."

The father of the church suicide bombers was a local leader in extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) which supports IS, and the second family was also linked to JAD.

"It ordered and gave instructions for its cells to make a move," Karnavian said of the Islamic State's role in the church attacks.

He added that the bombings may have also been motivated by the arrest of JAD leaders, including jailed radical Aman Abdurrahman, and were linked to a deadly prison riot staged by Islamist prisoners at a high-security jail near Jakarta last week.

Abdurrahman has been connected to several deadly incidents, including a 2016 gun and suicide attack in the capital Jakarta that left four attackers and four civilians dead.

Despite their apparent allegiance to IS, the church-bombing family were not returnees from Syria, police said Monday, correcting their earlier statements.

However, hundreds of Indonesians have flocked in recent years to fight alongside IS there.

Its ambitions have been reined in after losing most of the land it once occupied in Iraq and Syria, and there are concerns that jihadists will now turn their focus on establishing a base in Southeast Asia.

Increasingly proficient

On Sunday evening, just hours after the church bombings, a further three people in another family were killed and two wounded when another bomb exploded at an apartment complex about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Surabaya.

That explosion appeared to have been an accidental detonation that killed a mother and her 17-year-old child who was not identified.&nbsp

The woman's husband -- a confidante of the husband behind the church bombings, Dita Oepriyanto -- was badly injured in the explosion.&nbsp

Police said they arrived after the explosion and shot dead the injured man, Anton Febrianto, as he held a bomb detonator in his hand.

"When we searched the flat we found pipe bombs, similar to pipe bombs we found near the churches," said Karnavian.

Police said they also shot dead four suspects, including the second-ranking member of the JAD cell in Surabaya, in raids on houses and offices Monday while nine others were arrested.

Indonesian police have foiled numerous terror plots, but the coordinated nature of Sunday's church bombings and the subsequent blasts point to more sophisticated planning than in the past, analysts said.

"There is definitely a growing technical proficiency," said Zachary Abuza, the Southeast Asian security expert at the National War College in Washington.

"To pull off three near-simultaneous bombings is the hallmark of a group that is thinking."

Abuza questioned the police suggestion that the attacks were ordered by the IS leadership abroad, but said it would likely boost its presence in Southeast Asia as it fades elsewhere.

"(They're) going to continue to benefit from operating transnationally in Southeast Asia," he said.

The spate of bombings has rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming the church attacks and raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade

A family of five, including a child, carried out the suicide bombing of a police headquarters in Indonesia's second city Surabaya on Monday, police said, a day after a deadly wave of attacks on churches staged by another family. The spate of bombings has rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming the church attacks and raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade. Indonesia, which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months, has long struggled with Islamist militancy, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people -- mostly foreign tourists -- in the country's worst-ever terror attack. Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown that smashed some networks, and most recent attacks have been low-level and targeted domestic security forces. But that changed Sunday as a family of six -- including girls aged nine and 12 -- staged suicide bombings of three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 18 including the bombers. On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10. "There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid," national police chief Tito Karnavian said. "This is one family." An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the attack and was taken to hospital, while her mother, father and two brothers died in the blast, he said. The children were likely led to their deaths without a full awareness of their fate, said Ade Banani, of the University of Indonesia’s research centre of police science and terrorism studies. If a family believed in traditional roles, the father "has the power, so everyone has to obey", Banani said. "The children probably don't know what's going on or don't understand." The father of the church suicide bombers was a local leader in extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) which supports IS, and the second family was also linked to JAD. "It ordered and gave instructions for its cells to make a move," Karnavian said of the Islamic State's role in the church attacks. He added that the bombings may have also been motivated by the arrest of JAD leaders, including jailed radical Aman Abdurrahman, and were linked to a deadly prison riot staged by Islamist prisoners at a high-security jail near Jakarta last week. Abdurrahman has been connected to several deadly incidents, including a 2016 gun and suicide attack in the capital Jakarta that left four attackers and four civilians dead. Despite their apparent allegiance to IS, the church-bombing family were not returnees from Syria, police said Monday, correcting their earlier statements. However, hundreds of Indonesians have flocked in recent years to fight alongside IS there. Its ambitions have been reined in after losing most of the land it once occupied in Iraq and Syria, and there are concerns that jihadists will now turn their focus on establishing a base in Southeast Asia. Increasingly proficient On Sunday evening, just hours after the church bombings, a further three people in another family were killed and two wounded when another bomb exploded at an apartment complex about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Surabaya. That explosion appeared to have been an accidental detonation that killed a mother and her 17-year-old child who was not identified. The woman's husband -- a confidante of the husband behind the church bombings, Dita Oepriyanto -- was badly injured in the explosion. Police said they arrived after the explosion and shot dead the injured man, Anton Febrianto, as he held a bomb detonator in his hand. "When we searched the flat we found pipe bombs, similar to pipe bombs we found near the churches," said Karnavian. Police said they also shot dead four suspects, including the second-ranking member of the JAD cell in Surabaya, in raids on houses and offices Monday while nine others were arrested. Indonesian police have foiled numerous terror plots, but the coordinated nature of Sunday's church bombings and the subsequent blasts point to more sophisticated planning than in the past, analysts said. "There is definitely a growing technical proficiency," said Zachary Abuza, the Southeast Asian security expert at the National War College in Washington. "To pull off three near-simultaneous bombings is the hallmark of a group that is thinking." Abuza questioned the police suggestion that the attacks were ordered by the IS leadership abroad, but said it would likely boost its presence in Southeast Asia as it fades elsewhere. "(They're) going to continue to benefit from operating transnationally in Southeast Asia," he said.

Two families staged Indonesian suicide bombings: Police

At least two people have been killed and 13 injured, AFP reported Sunday, in bomb attacks on churches in Indonesia.&nbsp

The attacks took place in Surabaya, the country's second-biggest city.&nbsp

AFP quoted police as saying there were three attacks on three churches. And that one of them was a suicide blast.&nbsp

Police added that the three blasts occurred within 10 minutes of each other.&nbsp

The first blast took place at 7.30 am local time.&nbsp

There were three attacks on three churches, all within 10 minutes of each other. One of the attacks was reportedly a suicide blast

At least two people have been killed and 13 injured, AFP reported Sunday, in bomb attacks on churches in Indonesia. The attacks took place in Surabaya, the country's second-biggest city. AFP quoted police as saying there were three attacks on three churches. And that one of them was a suicide blast. Police added that the three blasts occurred within 10 minutes of each other. The first blast took place at 7.30 am local time.

Indonesia: At least two dead, 13 injured after bomb attacks on churches

A wave of blasts, including a suicide bombing, struck churches in Indonesia on Sunday, killing at least nine and wounding dozens of others in the deadliest attack in years to strike the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.

The Southeast Asian nation, which will begin the holy fasting month Ramadan this week, has been on high alert over attacks by homegrown militants, including some incidents claimed by the Islamic State group.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday bombings in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya.

"Nine people are dead and 40 are in hospital," East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera told reporters, adding that two police officers were among the injured.

The official death toll climbed from an initial two killed and may include those who succumbed to injuries in hospital.

Three separate locations were hit by the bombings around 7:30 am (0030 GMT) in what appeared to be coordinated attacks that included suicide and possibly vehicle bombings.

Television footage broadcast by major networks appeared to show a motorcycle driver entering the grounds of a church before a bomb was detonated.&nbsp;

Other images displayed a vehicle engulfed in flames at one location.

Police bomb experts were called in to disarm still active explosives at the Gereja Pantekosta Pusat Surabaya (Surabaya Centre Pentacostal Church), with an AFP reporter at the scene hearing two loud explosions.

Images from one scene showed a body lying outside the gate of Santa Maria catholic church and members of Indonesia's bomb squad poring over the rubble.

At least one of the attackers was killed when they detonated their bomb at Santa Maria. It was not clear if any other perpetrators were among those killed or injured.

"I was frightened... many people were screaming," 23-year-old witness Roman told AFP after the blast at Santa Maria church.

Police guarded a Sunday mass at another church in the city of Bandung, between the capital Jakarta and Surabaya where the bombings happened.

The attacks come several days after five Indonesian police officers and a prisoner were killed in clashes that saw Islamist inmates take a guard hostage at a high-security jail on the outskirts of Jakarta.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for that incident although police rejected its involvement.

Indonesia's 260 million people includes significant numbers of minority Christians, Hindus and Buddhists but there are concerns over rising sectarian intolerance and militancy.

Indonesian police shot and wounded a man who attacked a church congregation in the town of Sleman with a sword during a Sunday mass in February.

The radical Islamist, who had wanted to fight with the Islamic State group in Syria, injured four people.

High alert 
The archipelago nation of some 17,000 islands has long struggled with Islamic militancy and has suffered a series of attacks in the past 15 years -- including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in the country's worst-ever terror attack.

A sustained crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks but the emergence of IS has proved a potent new rallying cry for radicals.

Hundreds of Indonesians have flocked to fight with IS, sparking fears that extremist outfits back home could get a new lease on life.

A gun and suicide attack in the capital Jakarta left four attackers and four civilians dead in January 2016, and was the first assault claimed by IS in Southeast Asia.

The attack on a district packed with malls, embassies and United Nations offices left around 20 others injured.

Previous incidents have included a 2004 suicide car bomb that killed 10 outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, twin bomb blasts that killed 22 in a market in the Central Sulawesi town of Tentena, and a suicide bombing in 2005 that left 20 dead in Bali.

Seven people were killed, six of them foreigners, and more than 40 were injured when suicide bombers targeted the luxury Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in Jakarta in July 2009.

Three separate locations were hit by the bombings around 7:30 am in what appeared to be coordinated attacks that included suicide and possibly vehicle bombings

A wave of blasts, including a suicide bombing, struck churches in Indonesia on Sunday, killing at least nine and wounding dozens of others in the deadliest attack in years to strike the world's biggest Muslim-majority country. The Southeast Asian nation, which will begin the holy fasting month Ramadan this week, has been on high alert over attacks by homegrown militants, including some incidents claimed by the Islamic State group. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the Sunday bombings in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya. "Nine people are dead and 40 are in hospital," East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera told reporters, adding that two police officers were among the injured. The official death toll climbed from an initial two killed and may include those who succumbed to injuries in hospital. Three separate locations were hit by the bombings around 7:30 am (0030 GMT) in what appeared to be coordinated attacks that included suicide and possibly vehicle bombings. Television footage broadcast by major networks appeared to show a motorcycle driver entering the grounds of a church before a bomb was detonated. Other images displayed a vehicle engulfed in flames at one location. Police bomb experts were called in to disarm still active explosives at the Gereja Pantekosta Pusat Surabaya (Surabaya Centre Pentacostal Church), with an AFP reporter at the scene hearing two loud explosions. Images from one scene showed a body lying outside the gate of Santa Maria catholic church and members of Indonesia's bomb squad poring over the rubble. At least one of the attackers was killed when they detonated their bomb at Santa Maria. It was not clear if any other perpetrators were among those killed or injured. "I was frightened... many people were screaming," 23-year-old witness Roman told AFP after the blast at Santa Maria church. Police guarded a Sunday mass at another church in the city of Bandung, between the capital Jakarta and Surabaya where the bombings happened. The attacks come several days after five Indonesian police officers and a prisoner were killed in clashes that saw Islamist inmates take a guard hostage at a high-security jail on the outskirts of Jakarta. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for that incident although police rejected its involvement. Indonesia's 260 million people includes significant numbers of minority Christians, Hindus and Buddhists but there are concerns over rising sectarian intolerance and militancy. Indonesian police shot and wounded a man who attacked a church congregation in the town of Sleman with a sword during a Sunday mass in February. The radical Islamist, who had wanted to fight with the Islamic State group in Syria, injured four people. High alert The archipelago nation of some 17,000 islands has long struggled with Islamic militancy and has suffered a series of attacks in the past 15 years -- including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in the country's worst-ever terror attack. A sustained crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks but the emergence of IS has proved a potent new rallying cry for radicals. Hundreds of Indonesians have flocked to fight with IS, sparking fears that extremist outfits back home could get a new lease on life. A gun and suicide attack in the capital Jakarta left four attackers and four civilians dead in January 2016, and was the first assault claimed by IS in Southeast Asia. The attack on a district packed with malls, embassies and United Nations offices left around 20 others injured. Previous incidents have included a 2004 suicide car bomb that killed 10 outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, twin bomb blasts that killed 22 in a market in the Central Sulawesi town of Tentena, and a suicide bombing in 2005 that left 20 dead in Bali. Seven people were killed, six of them foreigners, and more than 40 were injured when suicide bombers targeted the luxury Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in Jakarta in July 2009.

Indonesia: Nine dead, 40 injured after bomb attacks on churches

A series of attacks in Indonesia by suicide bombers on churches in the city of Surabaya were suspected to be carried out by the Islamic state-inspired group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a spokesman for the country's intelligence agency said&nbsp;on Sunday.

Wawan Purwanto, communication director at the agency, also told Metro TV that the attacks were likely to be linked to a deadly prison hostage incident involving Islamist militants at a jail near Jakarta last week.

Asked who he thought were the brains behind the attacks, Purwano said: "Still the old group, JAD, who has planned this for some time."

Wawan Purwanto, a spokesman for the country's intelligence agency, also told Metro TV that the attacks were likely to be linked to a deadly prison hostage incident involving Islamist militants at a jail near Jakarta last week

A series of attacks in Indonesia by suicide bombers on churches in the city of Surabaya were suspected to be carried out by the Islamic state-inspired group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a spokesman for the country's intelligence agency said on Sunday. Wawan Purwanto, communication director at the agency, also told Metro TV that the attacks were likely to be linked to a deadly prison hostage incident involving Islamist militants at a jail near Jakarta last week. Asked who he thought were the brains behind the attacks, Purwano said: "Still the old group, JAD, who has planned this for some time."

Indonesia links church attacks to local Islamic State-inspired group

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