Death toll rises in Indonesia ferry fire

At least 15 people were killed today when a fire broke out on an Indonesian ferry carrying 350 passengers.

Scores of passengers jumped into the sea to escape from the flames and smoke, officials said.

Many survivors were plucked from the water and the ship’s charred hull, but dozens remained unaccounted for.

The fire started in a truck on the Levina 1’s car deck, hours after the 2,000-ton vessel left the capital, Jakarta, for the north-western island of Bangka, said port official Sato Bisri. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa told el-Shinta radio 15 bodies had been recovered and that at least 275 people were rescued.