JAKARTA, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- At least 23 people died and 17 others were injured Sunday when a passenger ferry burst into flames off the Indonesian coast.
Officials said at least 17 other people remain missing and at least nine people are hospitalized. As many as 194 passengers survived. The ferry, which was carrying about 240 passengers, caught fire less than a mile from shore, after it left Muara Angke port in North Jakarta. Witnesses said passengers panicked when the boat caught fire and jumped into the water. It was traveling to Tidung Island, a holiday destination in the Thousand Islands district, north of Jakarta.