Passengers jump for their lives as fire engulfs Indonesian ferry
Some 200 passengers were rescued from the water after the KMII Barcelona ship caught fire off the coast of Sulawesi Island at around 1.30pm local time on Sunday.
A pregnant woman was among those killed, the country's coast guard said.
Footage of the blaze showed smoke pouring out of the vessel, while coastguard boats and fishermen waited to rescue passengers still on board.
In another video, Abdul Rahmad Agu, a survivor of the incident, showed himself clinging onto a small child in the sea while other passengers wearing lifejackets jumped from the burning ship into the water. In the background, it is clear that many of the surviving passengers are distressed as they await help.
Vice-Adm Denih Hendrata, the commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, said three navy ships had been deployed to aid rescue efforts, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far.
The ferry was travelling from the Talaud Islands to Manado City and was about an hour away from the resort town of Likupang when it caught fire.
Vice-Adm Hendrata said the navy was 'still focusing on evacuation efforts' and that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
The rescue operation was aided by local fishermen and residents, who helped evacuate the survivors to nearby islands.
George Leo Mercy Randang, the head of the Manado search and rescue agency, told AFP: 'We are prioritising rescue before nightfall.'
Those injured were taken to the nearest health facility, according to Bakamla, Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency.
The total number of passengers and crew members on the ferry is not known, and there are no immediate reports of injuries.
Ferries are a common way to travel in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands. Marine accidents are frequent, attributed to poor safety standards and bad weather.
Last month, at least 19 people were killed and 16 people are missing after a ferry sank off Bali, the Indonesian resort island. A two-week search operation involved over 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships and 15 boats.
In 2018, over 150 people died when a ferry sank in a lake on Sumatra Island.
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