Five dead, 41 missing, after Indonesia ferry catches fire
The vessel with at least 250 people on board caught fire off Madura island.
A ferry carrying over 250 passengers caught fire at sea off Madura island, resulting in five fatalities and 41 people currently missing, according to Indonesian officials. The incident occurred as the vessel was sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Makassar, South Sulawesi. The captain of the ship reported the fire while the ferry was en route.
Footage from local Indonesian news outlet iNews depicts numerous individuals wearing life jackets in what appears to be a lifeboat, while others can be seen climbing down from the burning vessel, which is ablaze and emitting plumes of smoke. Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency, reported the fire at approximately 08:24 (02:24 GMT) following information received from the shipping company.
The ferry was reportedly almost entirely engulfed in flames, with passengers clinging to the ship's bridge and bow as they awaited rescue. Some footage shows individuals leaping into the sea, with crowds of people in life jackets gathering and lifebuoys being thrown to them before they are rescued by another ship. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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