Play store
At least five people have been confirmed dead and 41 others remain missing after a ferry carrying 271 passengers and crew caught fire off the coast of Indonesia, authorities said.
The blaze broke out near Madura Island as the vessel was en route from Surabaya—Indonesia’s second-largest city in East Java—to Makassar in South Sulawesi. According to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the captain immediately alerted authorities after the fire started.
Dramatic footage aired by local broadcaster iNews showed panicked passengers wearing life jackets crowded onto lifeboats. Other clips captured desperate attempts to escape, with people climbing down from the burning ferry as thick smoke and flames engulfed its upper decks.
Rescue operations are ongoing as teams continue searching for the missing amid challenging conditions at sea.