At least five dead after passenger ferry catches fire at sea in Indonesia
At least five people were killed, and hundreds more rescued, after a passenger ferry carrying hundreds of passengers caught fire at sea.
Listen to this article
More than 280 people have been rescued, with evacuation efforts continuing into Sunday evening.
Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed passengers in orange life jackets jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.
A video posted to social media appears to show passengers in life jackets floating in the water near the flaming ship as a huge plume of smoke rises into the sky.
Read More: At least 34 dead and scores missing after Vietnam tourist boat capsizes
Read More: 14 dead and 12 missing after landslides and flash floods hit South Korea
The exact number of passengers and crew onboard the ferry is not yet known.
The ferry departed from Talaud and was en route to Manado, the capital of the North Sulawesi province, when it caught fire off Sulawesi island, according to Indonesian officials.
Vice Admiral Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, said three navy ships had been deployed to assist with evacuation efforts. The operation was assisted by local fishermen, who rescued some survivors wearing life jackets from choppy waters.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
“We are still focusing on evacuation efforts,” Hendrata said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
It comes after at least 19 people died and 16 others went missing on July 3 after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, which is popular with international tourists.
A two-week search operation involved more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.
Ferry disasters are not uncommon in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands where ferries are commonly used as a mode of transport and safety regulations can be lax.