Indonesia ferry fire: at least 5 dead, 41 missing after blaze engulfs vessel

Videos from inside and outside the ferry carrying 271 passengers and crew members that caught fire off Indonesia show just how dire the situation had become. At least five people have been killed, while 41 others remain missing. Footage from inside the vessel shows passengers wearing life jackets waiting in uncertainty, while exterior shots capture thick black smoke billowing from the burning ferry.

The fire broke out off the coast of the Indonesian island of Madura, according to a statement from the country’s national search and rescue agency, as Reuters reports. By Sunday afternoon local time, 225 passengers had been rescued, according to data from the rescue services.

The ferry had departed from Surabaya, bound for the city of Makassar in the south of Sulawesi island. Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the cause of the fire or the vessel’s route.