Indonesia: Seven people dead in ferry fire

A massive fire broke out today on an Indonesian ferry carrying 350 passengers, killing at least seven people, the navy said, as rescuers pulled survivors and bodies from the burning hull.

The Levina 1 was engulfed in flames shortly after leaving the capital, Jakarta, for the north-western island of Bangka, port spokesman Hambar Wiyadi said. Smoke billowed into the sky hours after the accident.

Two children were among the dead, the navy said.

At least 211 passengers and crew were rescued, Lt Col Hendra Pakan said, but it was unclear how many remained on board.

Authorities were trying to determine the cause of the fire as two warships, three helicopters, a tug boat and nine cargo ships were dispatched to the scene, about 50 miles north of Jakarta’s port, Wiyadi said.

The navy said the ferry was carrying 350 passengers. The ferry’s log indicated it had 228 passengers, 42 trucks and eight cars on board, but tallies are often incomplete and boats overloaded.

In the vast nation of 17,000 islands, ferries are the cheapest and most popular form of public transportation but safety standards are poor, leading to hundreds of deaths each year.

Indonesia has been hit by a string of transportation disasters in recent months.

In late December, a passenger ferry sank in a storm in the Java Sea, killing more than 400 people. Days later, a Boeing 737-400 passenger plane crashed into the ocean, killing all 102 people on board.