Alwaght- A large tourist boat caught on fire killing at least 23 people onboard on their way to northern Indonesian islands on Sunday.
Another 17 people were also injured in the accident while aid and rescue teams managed to rescue more than 200 people from fire.
A National Disaster Management Agency spokesman said Sunday afternoon that three of the fatalities had earlier been taken to a nearby hospital, while “20 dead victims were found inside the Zahro Express ship after the boat was transported to the Muara Angke port" in Jakarta.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement that there were around 210 survivors -- 17 of who sustained injuries -- but 17 people remained missing.
The head of North Jakarta's fire department, Satriadi Gunawan, said his officers received a report on the incident at 08.46 a.m. and immediately dispatched teams to the site.
"We have deployed five fire boats to extinguish the fire," he was quoted by detik.com as saying.
Gunawan refused to comment on the possible cause of the fire.
The flames engulfing the ship were reportedly later extinguished and the vessel brought to the Muara Angke port in Jakarta.
Three crew members were taken to a local police station for questioning.
