At least five people have died and 41 remain missing after an Indonesian passenger ferry caught fire off Madura Island while sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi on Sunday.
The vessel, KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2, was carrying 232 passengers and 39 crew members when the blaze broke out between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. local time, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas.
Authorities said contact with the ferry was later lost after the captain reported the fire to the operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran.
Rescue efforts were launched after the operator alerted emergency services about an hour after the fire was first reported.
Basarnas said the ferry was eventually located about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi Island after communication was established with a nearby cargo vessel.
The cargo ship was unable to approach because it was carrying flammable cargo.
A tugboat and other passing vessels later joined the evacuation, helping rescue 225 passengers and crew members while recovering five bodies.
A rescue vessel was dispatched from Surabaya, although officials said it would take around six hours to reach the scene.
A rigid inflatable boat sent from a nearby rescue post was forced to return because of rough seas and high waves, while the Indonesian navy deployed a warship to support the operation.
Search-and-rescue efforts were continuing for those still unaccounted for.
Footage released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke rising from the ferry as passengers wearing life jackets gathered on deck awaiting rescue.
Other videos appeared to show flames spreading across the vessel, with some passengers climbing down the side of the ferry or jumping into the sea as lifebuoys were thrown toward them before rescue boats arrived.
Basarnas later said the ferry "was almost entirely engulfed in flames" as passengers waited for evacuation.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, frequently experiences maritime accidents, with safety enforcement and unpredictable weather posing recurring challenges.