A passenger ferry on fire near Java Island, Indonesia [Kompas TV capture. Yonhap]
A passenger ferry on fire near Java Island, Indonesia [Kompas TV capture. Yonhap]

A fire broke out Sunday on a passenger ferry carrying more than 270 people off the coast of East Java province in Indonesia, killing five and leaving more than 40 others missing.

The blaze erupted at around 6 a.m. local time aboard the Mutiara Sentosa 2 in waters near Madura Island, East Java, according to Indonesian broadcaster Kompas TV and China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

Five people were killed and 41 remain missing, while the remaining 225 passengers were rescued, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency said.


bbo@heraldcorp.com