ALBAWABA - A massive fire broke out on a ferry in Indonesia, leading to the killing of at least five people, while 41 are still missing, search and rescue officials said Sunday.
An Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire while at sea. Officials said that search and rescue operations continue to find the other 41 missing.
A total of 225 people were rescued, said the regional Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency. According to AFP, the captain of the vessel reported a fire, then he disappeared as contact was lost with him.
Some people jumped into the sea and were saved by a nearby ship, according to Basarnas, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency.
Four other vessels near the ferry, that caught fire but were unable to help due to the risk posed by flammable material on the ferry, Basarnas added.
The vessel sailed from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi, Basarnas mentioned.
"Based on preliminary reports from the field, passengers are waiting to be evacuated by the vessels in the vicinity of the incident site," Muhammad Masyhud, a senior official at the Ministry of Transportation, said Sunday.
"The safety of passengers and crew is our top priority. We are continuously coordinating with all relevant parties to ensure that the evacuation process can proceed quickly, safely, and effectively," he added in a statement.
