At least five people have been confirmed dead, while 41 passengers remain unaccounted for after a passenger ferry carrying about 250 people caught fire during a voyage in Indonesia.
The incident occurred near Madura Island as the vessel, identified as KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2, was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
Basarnas said its Surabaya Search and Rescue office received an emergency report about the fire at 2:24, after the ship’s crew alerted authorities about the incident.
The agency stated that information from the shipping company indicated the blaze started between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. local time.
Rescue officials later revealed that the ferry was almost completely consumed by flames, forcing passengers to gather on the bridge and front section of the vessel while waiting for help.
The cause of the fire has not been established, as investigations are still ongoing.
Footage released by Basarnas showed passengers entering the sea as rescue teams distributed life buoys and evacuated survivors onto rescue boats.
Authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as efforts intensify to locate the missing passengers.