Scramble for life as ferry carrying 271 catches fire off Indonesia, 5 dead

At least five people were killed and 41 remain missing after a passenger ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura island on Sunday, authorities said, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors. The ferry was identified as KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 by the Indonesian publication Jakarta Globe. According to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, the ferry was carrying 271 passengers and crew members while travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi. By Sunday afternoon, 225 people had been rescued, while search and rescue operations were still underway. Visuals showed passengers scrambling towards the bow of the burning ferry as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.