5 dead and 41 missing in Indonesian ferry fire

Jakarta (AFP) – The Indonesian search and rescue agency announced on Sunday that five bodies had been recovered and 41 people were missing, while 225 others were rescued after a ferry carrying 271 passengers sank.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said the ferry was traveling between Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city in East Java, and Makassar in South Sulawesi, when the captain reported a fire on board.

It added that contact with the captain could no longer be established.

Footage released by Basarnas showed the vessel listing slightly with thick smoke billowing from it.

The agency said several passengers jumped into the water from the ferry and were evacuated by a ship to a nearby location, while four other vessels waited nearby but were unable to approach the fire because they were carrying flammable materials.