Indonesia ferry fire: all 195 rescued after passengers, crew jump into sea

All 195 people on board a large ferry have been rescued after it caught fire while travelling to a remote island in northeastern Indonesia.

The KM Karya Indah was in the Molucca Sea heading for Sanana, a port on the island of Limafatola, when the fire broke out at around 7am local time, according to officials, forcing passengers and crew to jump into the sea.

The blaze began 15 minutes after the vessel had departed Ternate, the provincial capital of North Maluku province.

Phone video of the incident provided by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed passengers and crew clinging to floating objects as they struggled in the choppy water, while the raging fire on the ferry sent up clouds of black smoke.

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Mr Wardana said all 195 people on board — 181 passengers, including 22 children, and 14 crew members — were rescued and safely evacuated to a nearby island.

He said the agency’s rescue operation also involved local fishing boats that happened to be in the vicinity.

The spokesman said authorities were still investigating the cause of the incident, and that survivors told authorities the fire apparently started in the engine room.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands. – PA