5 dead, 41 missing after vessel catches fire in Indonesia's Java Sea

JAKARTA -- Five people were killed and 41 others remained missing after the Mutiara Santosa 2 caught fire in the Java Sea north of Madura Island in Indonesia's East Java province, the National Search and Rescue Agency said Sunday.

A total of 225 people had been evacuated, the agency said.

The vessel, operating on the Surabaya-Makassar route, was carrying 271 people, including 232 passengers and 39 crew members.

Authorities said the vessel was about 19 nautical miles (35.2 km) offshore when it was almost completely engulfed in flames, with passengers gathering on the bridge and at the bow as they waited to be evacuated.

Several nearby vessels took part in the rescue operation, while a joint search and rescue team deployed additional vessels and personnel to evacuate survivors and search for the missing.

The search operation remains underway, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.