At least 15 people, including three children, were killed yesterday when a ferry carrying 350 passengers caught fire shortly after leaving the Indonesian capital, officials said.
Scores of survivors were pulled from the Java Sea and the ship's charred hull -- dozens of them suffering burns -- but more than 50 others remained unaccounted for.
At least 288 passengers and 15 crew were rescued, Colonel Hendra Pakan said.
Most arrived at the Jakarta port yesterday afternoon, where emergency vehicles were waiting, and others were on their way aboard a warship. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals or treated in a make-shift medical hall at the port.
TV pictures showed huge clouds of thick black smoke billowing from the stricken ferry and fires still burning in several locations. Flames had scorched the vessel's superstructure and burnt off most of the paint.
The fire started in a truck on the Levina 1's car deck, hours after the vessel left Jakarta for the northwestern island of Bangka, said port official Sato Bisri. The cause was not immediately known.
The fire occurred 80km north of Jakarta's port.
"The fire started on the lowest level and got bigger and bigger, panicking passengers," said Ebun, 30, who managed to get hold of a life jacket. "Many people, including me, jumped into the water. Someone came and pulled me onto another ship."
The Levina II, ferry's sister ship,had managed to rescue 211 people, Western Fleet spokesman Hendra Pakan told ElShinta radio.
Two warships, three helicopters, a tug boat and nine cargo ships were taking part in the rescue.
Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa met with port officials for a briefing on the accident before heading to the scene by helicopter.
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.
Indonesia has been hit by a string of disasters in recent months. In late December, a ferry sank in a storm in the Java Sea, killing more than 400 people. Days later, a passenger plane crashed into the ocean, killing all 102 on board.
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