13 dead after Indonesian ferry blaze

Thirteen dead: A firefighting boat puts out the fire on the burning ferry off the shore of Merak city / AFP Source: AFP

The ferry caught fire in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, about two miles from the port of Merak, at the western tip of Java.

"Thirteen people have been killed," said transport ministry director for maritime passenger services Wiratno, who goes by one name, adding more than 400 people survived.

"The fire has gone, and the burnt ferry is now located close to a beach."

Wiratno said personnel from the port, navy and police were still conducting a search of the area for passengers.

The survivors jumped into the sea wearing life jackets and were picked up by boats, he added, and many were transferred to two hospitals in Cilegon on Java for treatment.

Truck driver Musaka, who was a passenger on the ferry, said the fire came from the vehicle area.

"It's very scary when the fire started, as it was still very dark. A passenger bus on the vehicle area caught fire first, and my truck also burned," he said.

"I was able to save myself as I could grab a life jacket. I quickly jumped off to the sea."

A female passenger, Lusi, said she escaped but lost track of her five-year old son during the evacuation.

"Hopefully he's already in a safe place, as the officials told me that he could be in the hospital," said the passenger, who was heading from Jakarta to reach her home in South Sumatra province.

Hours after the incident, witnesses said they saw thick smoke coming from the ferry, but officials in Merak said it was not going to sink.

The vessel had been on its way to Bakauheni, the main port on the southern tip of Sumatra.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on ferry services, but the industry has a poor safety record, and fatal accidents are common.