23 dead after ferry catches fire near Indonesia’s capital

Rescuers search for victims from the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire off the coast of Jakarta after it was docked at Muara Angke Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from the port to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. AP

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian official says at least 23 people were killed after a ferry caught fire near the capital, Jakarta.

The vessel was carrying about 100 people from Jakarta’a port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain located off of Jakarta, when it caught fire Sunday.

Seply Madreto, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, told MetroTV that more than 10 injured victims were rushed to hospitals.

He said the fire gutted through about half of the ship.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic nation, where regulation of boat services is often lax.