Five dead, 41 missing after Indonesia ferry catches fire

Five people have been found dead and 41 are missing after an Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire while at sea, officials say.

The captain of the ship reported the fire – off Madura island – as the vessel sailed from the country's second‑largest city, Surabaya, to Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Footage shown by local Indonesian news outlet iNews depicts many people wearing life jackets aboard a lifeboat, while other clips show passengers climbing down from a ferry that is ablaze and from which smoke pours upward.

The breaking news story is being updated, with more details to be published shortly; the page may be refreshed for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App or follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.