Thick black smoke was seen pouring from the vessel when the blaze erupted
A PREGNANT woman is among at least five dead after a ferry carrying hundreds went up in flames.
Chaos erupted as terrified passengers strapped on life jackets and leapt off the burning boat as a raging inferno ripped through the vessel on the water.
The horrific blaze engulfed the KM Barcelona VA off the coast of Indonesia, authorities confirmed.
284 of the passengers and crew were rescued, and no injuries have been reported yet – although rescue efforts are still ongoing.
There are no exact figures of how many people exactly were on the boat, and officials said they were still investigating the cause of the fire.
The inferno broke out at around 1:30pm local time on Sunday, reports said.
Commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command Denih Hendrata said three navy ships had been deployed, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far.
He also explained that the rescue operation included help from local fishermen, who picked up survivors wearing life jackets as they drifted to nearby islands in the choppy waters.
Panic erupted onboard when thick black smoke began billowing from the lower decks.
Harrowing footage showed passengers leaping into the water, many of them clad in bright orange life jackets, as the blaze ripped through the ship.
A brave survivor filmed himself clinging to a baby in the sea after leaping off the burning ferry off the coast of Indonesia.
Wearing an orange life jacket, Abdul Rahmad Agu filmed passengers flinging themselves into the water in real-time via a heart-stopping Facebook live stream.
A brave survivor filmed himself clinging to a baby in the sea after leaping off the burning ferry off the coast of Indonesia.
Wearing an orange life jacket, Abdul Rahmad Agu filmed passengers flinging themselves into the water in real-time via a heart-stopping Facebook live stream.
In the live stream, Abdul could be heard saying: “Help, the KM Barcelona V is on fire. There are still many people on board.”
“We are burning at sea… we need help fast,” he pleaded in a panicked voice, his camera shaking as flames tore through the ship in front of him.
Clinging to a baby, he could be heard trying to calm other passengers who also jumped overboard.
The live stream lasted for around 28 minutes – meaning people were left in the water for at least half an hour before they were rescued.
Videos captured the screams and desperate cries for help from passengers as the chaos unfolded.
The sky above was darkened by thick smoke as the vessel burned from the hull up.
Footage showed an overcrowded deck as crew helped passengers buckle their life vests before jumping off the boat.
Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams race against time to account for all passengers.
Some of the survivors were seen staring at the destroyed ship from a neighbouring boat as the blaze was put out.
The once blue and white vessel was turned into a burned black carcass as flames tore the boat inside out.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14765090/ferry-fire-indonesia-passengers-leap-overboard/