At least seven people, including children, have been killed and four remain missing after a ship caught fire in waters near Southeast Sulawesi province in Indonesia, the head of communication for media at the national search and rescue office Yusuf Latief told Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.
“The incident started with the appearance of fire in the engine room. The crews of the ship tried to extinguish it but failed. The fire kept getting bigger. Consequently, passengers jumped into the water”, Latief said.
The incident took place in the waters off Bokori Island after the vessel left from a port city of Kendari.
Another ship helped to extinguish the blaze. All in all, 61 people were rescued by local sailors.